Issue trackers

Posted by Karl| 13th November 2009 at 17:39

Without doubt, the most important tool a systems tester needs is an issue or bug tracker.  The importance of such a system should not be underestimated.  I have seen first hand the chaos that ensues from attempting to track issues without one.

Basics

For those of you reading this who haven't a clue what an issue tracker is, it's an application that is used to record the details of issues relating to a project.  These should include bugs in the system, problems with the specifications, additional requirements etc.  A good issue log should also have the ability to track each issues status, from being reported to being fixed through testing and sign-off.  Additional features such as storing related documents and screenshots with the issue report are now commonplace.

Workflow

One of the most important parts of the issue tracker is the workflow.  A workflow defines what state an issue is in and what states it can be moved into.  This is critical for clarity throughout the testing process.  Being able to define a relevant workflow in the issue tracker is essential.  I generally use the workflow structure;

Open > In Progress > Fixed > For Test > For Review > Closed

This structure allows the development and test cycles to work more separately by differentiation between an issue that is fixed and one that is available to test.  Developers can fix issues and release them into the test environment at a later time, marking the issues then as 'For Test'.  This means that testers can concentrate on the issues they have to test and can have full visibility of the release process by being able to identify the issues fixed for the next release.  Having a review stage is also advisable, as towards the end of the project it is a good idea to review all issues to make sure they do not turn up in the final build.

Players

There is a huge selection of issue trackers available.  For the current project I’m working on we’re using a hosted instance of JIRA which is great but a little expensive.  

Other hosted issue trackers include Lighthouse and 16bugs.  There are also numerous hybrid code\project\issue management systems available for a fee.

If money is an obstacle then Redmine is perfect.  Built with Rails, it is really easy to install and has practically all of the features of an expensive issue tracker and more. 

Bugzilla is probably the most popular open-source tracker but it has been overtaken in appearance, usability and features by the newer wave of issue and project management tools. 

To do

Before committing to any issue tracker, try it out and not just for a few hours.  You'll need at least a week to see the good and the bad of a particular tool.

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