Beginner⏱ 6 min read

Defect Life Cycle / Bug Life Cycle

The Defect Life Cycle tracks a bug from the moment it is discovered to the moment it is closed. A rigorous defect life cycle prevents bugs from being lost, prematurely closed, or insufficiently fixed.

◈Key Points

States: New → Assigned → Open → Fixed → Retest → Verified → Closed.
Alternate paths: Rejected (not a bug), Deferred (valid but postponed), Duplicate, Cannot Reproduce.
A 'Reopen' state signals that the fix was inadequate — track reopen rates as a QA metric.
Severity (technical impact) ≠ Priority (business urgency) — both must be set independently.
Root cause analysis on high-severity defects prevents entire classes of future bugs.

⚡ Expert Pro Tip

Write bug reports that a developer can reproduce without contacting you. Include: steps, environment, expected vs actual, screenshots/logs, and build number.