Imagine you're sitting at your desk, sipping on your morning coffee, and ready to tackle another productive day.
But then, your inbox pings with a new bug report from your QA team, and it feels like déjà vu. You can't help but think, "Haven't we fixed this issue before? Why does this keep happening?"
Fret not, fellow developer, for we have the solution to streamline your bug reporting process and make your life much easier.
In the rapidly evolving world of software development, staying ahead of the curve is key to success. While every project and team may be unique, one thing remains constant: the importance of an effective, efficient bug reporting process.
In this blog, we'll share customizable templates designed to improve communication between QA and development teams, reduce confusion, and facilitate faster bug resolution.
Incorporating these templates into your workflow will empower you and your team to tackle issues head-on and ensure the delivery of high-quality software.
So, let's get started!
Before we delve into the actual bug reporting templates, it's essential to establish a strong foundation. The next two sections aim to provide you with a clear understanding of the advantages of using bug report templates and the vital elements every bug reporting template should possess.
8 Advantages of Using a Bug Reporting Template
Using a bug reporting template offers several advantages for teams and individuals working on software development projects. These advantages include:
1. Consistency
A standardized bug reporting template ensures that all team members provide the same level of detail and follow a consistent format when reporting bugs. This consistency makes it easier for everyone to understand, analyze, and resolve reported issues.
2. Improved communication
With a clear and structured template, team members can effectively communicate the necessary information about a bug. This makes it easier for developers and QA testers to understand the problem and reproduce it.
3. Faster bug resolution
When developers provide a comprehensive and organized bug report, they can more quickly identify the root cause of the issue and implement a fix. This reduces the time spent on back-and-forth communication to gather additional information.
4. Comprehensive documentation
A bug reporting template serves as a valuable documentation tool. Team members can track the progress of reported bugs, maintain a history of issues, and identify patterns or trends that may indicate broader problems within the system.
5. Enhanced prioritization
A standardized template often includes a field for priority levels, helping teams prioritize bug fixes according to their severity or impact on the system. This ensures that the most critical issues are addressed first, improving overall system stability and the user experience.
6. Improved team collaboration
With a shared bug reporting template, team members can easily collaborate on identifying, tracking, and resolving issues. This fosters a sense of shared responsibility and encourages teamwork.
7. Increased efficiency
A well-structured bug reporting template streamlines the process, reducing the time spent creating and managing bug reports. This allows team members to focus on more critical tasks, such as developing or improving new features.
8. Better quality control
A standardized template encourages team members to report issues promptly, making reporting and tracking bugs easy. This results in better quality control and a more stable product.
Now, let’s have a clear understanding of the vital elements every bug reporting template should possess.
Bug Reporting Template Essentials
Ensuring these critical components are included in your templates will set the stage for a more effective and efficient QA testing workflow. It will improve communication and collaboration between your QA and development teams. Let's understand the essentials of a bug reporting template:
1. Clear and concise title
A good bug report begins with a clear and concise title that accurately summarizes the issue. This makes it easy for team members to grasp the problem and prioritize it quickly.
2. Detailed description
Providing a detailed description of the bug is crucial. This should include information on what was expected, what actually happened, and any relevant error messages. The description should be detailed enough for anyone unfamiliar with the project to understand the issue.
3. Steps to reproduce
It's important to outline the exact steps required to reproduce the bug, as this will help the development team pinpoint the root cause and implement a fix. Include any prerequisites, such as specific account permissions or settings.
4. Severity and priority
Assigning a severity level (e.g., critical, major, minor, or trivial) and a priority level (e.g., high, medium, or low) helps the development team prioritize bug fixes.
5. Environment and version information
Including information about the environment in which the bug was discovered (e.g., operating system, browser, device) and the software version being tested is crucial to help developers reproduce and resolve the issue.
6. Screenshots, videos, or logs
Visual aids like screenshots or videos can be incredibly helpful in illustrating the bug, while logs can provide valuable insights into what happened behind the scenes. Including these in your bug report can significantly improve the development team's understanding of the issue.
7. Assigned to and reported by
Clearly indicate the person responsible for fixing the bug and who reported it. This helps to ensure accountability and streamline communication.
8. Status and resolution
Keep track of the bug's current status (e.g., open, in progress, resolved, or closed) and its resolution (e.g., fixed, won't fix, duplicate, or not a bug). This helps to maintain transparency and monitor progress throughout the bug's life cycle.
Incorporating these essential elements into your bug reporting templates will create a solid foundation for a more streamlined and effective QA testing workflow.
With this groundwork established, let's explore the 15 bug reporting templates you can easily copy and adapt for your team's unique needs.
15 Bug Reporting Templates for Your QA Testing Workflow
1. ruttl Bug Reporting
ruttl is a powerful visual feedback and collaboration tool designed to help web designers and developers streamline their website review processes.
With ruttl, you can easily leave comments, make suggestions, and collaborate with your team in real time directly on the website you're working on. It simplifies communication and helps ensure your website looks and functions as intended.
To report a bug in ruttl, you can raise a ticket within the platform, providing all the necessary details related to the issue. ruttl's interactive interface allows you to have a conversation with your team members about the bug, facilitating a quicker resolution.
Using ruttl, you can keep all your bug reports, feedback, and related discussions organized in one place. ruttl offers seamless integration with popular project management and communication tools, such as:
- Asana
- ClickUp
- Jira
- Slack
- Trello
- Zapier
These integrations make it easy to keep track of all your reported bugs and avoid duplication. Connecting Ruttl with your preferred tool ensures that your team is always updated on the latest issues and can work efficiently together to resolve them quickly.
2. JIRA Bug Reporting
JIRA is a widely-used ticketing platform that facilitates easy communication and tracking of tickets among team members. It is known for its clearly defined fields and customization options. To create a bug report in JIRA, click on "Create" in the top menu bar.
Here's a summary of the default bug report template in JIRA:
- Project: Specify the website or app being tested.
- Issue Type: Bug
- Summary: Provide a concise title (e.g., "404 error in the landing page").
- Components: Indicate the page where the bug occurred (e.g., Homepage)
- Description: Include every necessary information like the URL, steps to reproduce, screenshots, priority level, and more.
- Labels: Identify the source of the error (e.g., sitemap).
- Epic Link: Group related stories that support a common goal (e.g., Mobile Expansion, 2023)
- Sprint: Specify the sprint number and business quarter (e.g., Q2, Sprint 3).
3. Trello Bug Reporting
Trello is a project management and collaboration platform that organizes projects into boards. Labeling Trello cards by priority (critical, major, minor, trivial) helps you keep the bug tracking process streamlined.
Key features of this bug tracking template include:
- Integrated forms: Obtain all the necessary information for every bug report using our integrated forms, ensuring all required details are provided.
- Efficient bug triage: Easily sort through incoming bug reports, confirm reproducibility before beginning work, and set the appropriate priority level.
- Task delegation: Assign bug fixing tasks to the right team members directly within Trello.
- Comprehensive reports: Generate reports on bug metrics, such as bug count, bug trends, bugs by priority or browser, and time taken to fix bugs based on priority or assigned team member.
You can also set up custom fields to add extra information to your cards. This bug tracking template has several custom fields to help you get started.
- Priority: Determine the importance of fixing a bug during the bug triage process.
- Source: Identify whether the bug was reported internally or externally, or add other sources if needed.
- Browser: Specify the browser in which the bug occurred.
- Reporter's Email: Record the email address of the person who reported the bug so they can be informed of the resolution.
- Date Reported: Track the duration a bug has been open for. Refer to the Automations section below for automatic population, or consider using the Time in List Power-Up to monitor card durations on the board and their current list.
You can also add custom fields for other relevant information to your bug reports, such as:
- Product version
- Operating System
- Username
- Intermittent bug?
Leverage this Trello bug reporting template to streamline your bug tracking process, improve communication within your team, and deliver a higher-quality product.
4. Asana Bug Reporting
Asana is a popular work management platform that is increasingly being used for bug tracking. With this platform, you can create a structured and efficient process to handle bugs and keep your team on track. Asana also provides a video tutorial on how to use their bug tracking template.
Some of the integrated features of using Asana and the bug tracking template include:
- Boards: Organize and visualize your bug tracking efforts in a Kanban-style board.
- Custom Fields: Define each bug report's priorities, categories, and other relevant details.
- Inbox: Centralize bug reports and updates in a single location.
- Reporting: Gain insights into bug trends and team progress.
Here's how you can track and report bugs with Asana:
- Centralize bug reporting: Streamline bug reports by collecting them in a single place. Use a task template or form to ensure all necessary details are provided.
- Assign and schedule fixes: Assign each bug report to a team member, providing all the required information and setting a deadline for resolution.
- Prioritize issues: Use custom fields to indicate priority levels for each bug. This helps your team focus on critical issues and promptly address significant problems.
- Identify patterns and trends: Employ custom fields to sort bugs by category, enabling you to detect patterns and better understand the issues your team encounters.
5. Monday.com Bug Reporting
If you're struggling with maintaining lists of bugs to be fixed, using spreadsheets to track assignees and statuses, or searching your inbox for the latest updates, Monday.com's bug tracking template is here to help.
Log every bug as it comes in, along with the reporter, the source, and the potential impact on the customer. Use the same template to allocate bug fixes and monitor the progress of the repairs.
Here's how you can use monday.com's bug tracking template:
- Pick a template: Choose from their ready-to-use templates to get started.
- Customize It: Add action items, reorder them based on priority, and create a tailored plan that fits your needs.
- Execute your plan: Assign team members to each action item and monitor your plan's progress at every stage.
Monday.com's bug tracking template features:
- Excel Export/Import: Easily export this template to Excel with just one click. Import your Excel spreadsheet effortlessly, converting it into an organized and visually appealing Monday.com board in simple steps.
- Conversations: Each bug entry includes a conversation feature, allowing everyone involved to discuss details, share information, ask for help, and collaborate without altering the main dashboard view. Flexible Sorting Options: Use the Kanban view to analyze the sources of your bug - reports. Many bugs reported by alpha & beta testers could signal issues with your in-house testing teams or processes. Additionally, utilize this view to display bugs sorted by customer impact and current status.
6. ClickUp Bug Reporting
ClickUp's bug reporting template helps efficiently manage bug reports, and streamlining issue tracking is crucial for delivering high-quality products. It facilitates seamless collaboration between support, engineering, and product teams.
With a suite of powerful features, the template provides a comprehensive solution for tracking, managing, and resolving bugs and defects, ensuring you can deliver better products faster.
Key Features of the ClickUp Bug Reporting Template:
- Bug & Issue Tracking: Centralize and prioritize bugs and issues for a quick resolution.
- Customizable Folder Structure: Easily organize and access bug reports.
- Tailor-fit Workflows: Customize statuses, fields, and views for streamlined reporting.
- Automated Notifications: Stay updated with automatic status change comments.
- Custom Intake Forms: Collect necessary data efficiently using customizable forms.
- Flexible Views: Choose from 5 view types to best suit your team's needs.
- Automation: Automate workflow with 1 free automation prompt.
7. Slack Bug Reporting
Slack is a widely-used messaging app that helps teams talk to each other quickly. Many businesses and people use it, including QA testers.
Bug report templates in Slack let you share problems easily without leaving the app. You won't need to switch between apps to write notes or look for information in your email.
These templates can also help you when talking to your teammates or clients. Plus, you can always find them since they're saved in Slack.
8. Email Bug Reporting
An email bug reporting template streamlines the process of reporting software bugs by providing a standardized format to capture essential information. This template typically includes fields for the bug description, steps to reproduce, expected behavior, observed behavior, screenshots or attachments, and additional notes.
Teams can use email bug reporting templates to communicate and track software issues efficiently, ultimately improving the bug resolution process.
9. Excel Bug Reporting
An Excel bug reporting template is a structured, organized way to document and track software bugs using a spreadsheet format. The template includes columns for essential information such as bug ID, description, steps to reproduce, expected and observed behavior, priority, status, assignee, and any relevant attachments or comments.
An Excel bug reporting template enables teams to manage software issues effectively, providing a clear overview of outstanding bugs, their severity, and progress toward resolution. This helps to streamline the bug resolution process and improve overall software quality.
10. Wrike Bug Reporting
Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that promotes standardization and cross-functional cooperation. To create a bug report in Wrike, capture screenshots, annotate them, and convert them into Wrike tasks with a single click whenever you identify a problem on your website.
11. GitLab Bug Reporting
GitLab is similar to GitHub, with the issue processing status displayed in the right column. Since not all employees will have access to and extensive knowledge of Git repositories, using a user-friendly issue reporting tool that integrates with your Git repository is beneficial.
However, using Gitlab's template to create a new bug report can take a while, especially if you need to report many bugs. If you're testing a product and discover many issues, completing the required information for each bug might take hours.
12. Google Docs Bug Reporting
Using a Google Docs bug reporting template offers a simple and accessible means for team members to communicate issues they encounter with software or applications. This approach enables non-technical personnel to easily report bugs in a familiar format while ensuring all relevant information is included in a structured manner.
However, one primary drawback is the lack of integration with other bug tracking systems, which can result in inefficient management of bug reports. Moreover, as the template relies on manual input, there is an increased potential for human error, leading to inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the reports.
13. PDF Bug Reporting
Reporting bugs in a PDF file is another option for documenting and tracking issues, particularly if your organization requires PDFs for internal communication. While PDFs may not offer the same flexibility as other formats, they can still be used effectively for bug reporting.
We have prepared a PDF template based on the previously mentioned MS Word document for your convenience. Download the PDF bug report template here.
When using a PDF file for bug reporting, it's important to ensure all team members can access the document and easily view or edit it as needed.
14. Notion Bug Reporting
Notion is a handy and flexible tool that helps you sort your ideas, manage projects, and monitor your progress. It's like a digital notebook where you can type, insert images, and format your notes in one spot.
Notion's bug report template is useful for tracking and reporting bugs. It's split into four parts - No Status, Next Up, In-progress, and Completed. You can also classify bugs using subcategories based on the issue you encounter.
However, the template doesn't include all the necessary fields for a thorough bug report. Although it's a good starting point, adding more details to understand the bug you're dealing with is essential.
15. Shortcut Bug Reporting
Shortcut is a collaborative project management software that aims to optimize and improve your current processes. To create a bug report in Shortcut, capture a screenshot, annotate it, and turn it into a new Shortcut task with a single click.
Each of these platforms offers its own bug reporting template to suit different workflows and teams. Make sure to choose a template that aligns with your team's needs and preferences, and consider integrating tools that can streamline the bug reporting process further.
Wrapping Up
Using the templates discussed in this blog will not only enhance your testing efficiency but also ensure that your software delivers the highest quality user experience.
While these templates are invaluable, it's important to remember that the right tool can make all the difference. That's where ruttl comes in, offering exceptional visual feedback capabilities to streamline your bug tracking process. With ruttl, you can seamlessly communicate and resolve issues, making it an indispensable tool for any QA team.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your bug tracking process. Sign up for ruttl today and experience the difference that visual feedback can make in your QA testing workflow.
