Defect Tracking Process

The Defect Tracking process should answer the following questions:
1. When is the defect found?
2. Who raised the defect?
3. Is the defect reported properly?
4. Is the defect assigned to the appropriate developer?
5. When was the defect fixed?
6. Is the defect re-tested?
7. Is the defect closed?
The defect tracking process has to be handled carefully and managed efficiently.

The following figure illustrates the defect tracking process:
(Click Image to Enlarge)

Defect Classification:
This section defines a defect Severity Scale framework for determining defect criticality and the associated defect Priority Levels to be assigned to errors found software.

The defects can be classified as follows:
CRITICAL - There is a functionality block or the defect is a show stopper. The application is not able to proceed any further and testing process cannot proceed further till the critical defect is fixed.
MAJOR - The application is not working as desired. There are variations in the functionality.
MINOR - There is no failure reported due to the defect, but certainly needs to be rectified.
TRIVIAL - Defects will less importance or insignificant.
COSMETIC - Defects in the User Interface or Navigation.
SUGGESTION - Feature which can be added for betterment.

Priority Level of the Defect:
The priority level describes the time for resolution of the defect. The priority level would be classified as follows:

IMMEDIATE - Resolve the defect with immediate effect.
HIGH - Resolve the defect at the earliest, on priority at the second level.
MEDIUM - Resolve the defect.
LOW - Could be resolved at the later stages.