The document provides 10 tips for writing effective bug reports: (1) Report patterns, not examples; (2) Only describe what's wrong, not how to fix it; (3) Be direct without unnecessary details; (4) Report the bug without suggesting solutions; (5) Do not mix priority and severity; (6) Avoid all caps, colors, or punctuation; (7) Do not include personal judgments; (8) Write clearly for all audiences; (9) Limit options instead of listing many; (10) Do not use vague terms like "sometimes".

1. By: Belal Raslan (Quality Consultant)
Quality Partners™
www.sq-partners.com
© 2014, Quality Partners™

2. How to write effective Bug report
1.
Report the pattern not an example.
2.
Don’t describe what's wrong, only!
3.
Be direct to the point (don’t tell a story!).
4.
Report the bug, but not how to solve it.
5.
Don’t mix between priority and severity.
6.
Don’t use: CAPS, red letters, red circles, ‘!’ , ‘?’.
7.
Don’t use your personal judgment.
8.
Make your description understandable for
everyone.
9.
Minimize the options.
10. Don’t use the word ‘Sometimes’.
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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3. How to write effective Bug report
1.
Report the pattern not an example.
Avoid this:
When multiplying -2 by 3 then answer will be positive.
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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4. How to write effective Bug report
2. Don’t describe what's wrong, only!
Avoid this:
When adding a new item, the items list will be ordered
alphabetically.
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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5. How to write effective Bug report
3. Be direct to the point (don’t tell a story!).
Avoid this:
Open your browser, type the site URL, go to home
page, login as user, go to ‘add item’, you’ll find the first
field ‘usernam’ misspelled.
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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6. How to write effective Bug report
4. Report the bug, but not how to solve it.
Avoid this:
The ‘ID’ field in the report is incomplete, please define
the ID in the data base as integer of (10).
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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7. How to write effective Bug report
5. Don’t mix between priority and severity.
Avoid this:
The client name in the report is misspelled.
Priority: High, Severity: High
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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8. How to write effective Bug report
6. Don’t use: CAPS, red letters, red circles, ‘!’ , ‘?’.
Avoid this:
The tax calculation formula is INCORRECT !!??
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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9. How to write effective Bug report
7. Don’t use your personal judgment.
Avoid this:
I don’t think that the home page UI design is nice.
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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10. How to write effective Bug report
8. Make your description understandable for everyone.
Avoid this:
Reference to our discussion today, please do the
needed action for this page.
(C) 2014, Quality Partners™
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11. How to write effective Bug report
9. Minimize the options.
Avoid this:
Page background color should be blue or orange or
green or you can make it black or even white.
(C) 2011, Quality Partners™
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12. How to write effective Bug report
10. The golden rule: Don’t use the word ‘Sometimes’.
Avoid this:
Sometime the tax calculation formula is not working as
expected.
(C) 2011, Quality Partners™
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13. 7 reasons why testing should start early in the SDLC
Author:
Belal Raslan (Quality Consultant)
Email: Braslan@sq-partners.com
Twitter: @BelalRaslan
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