8 Smart Bug Reporting Strategies for Web Developers

Bug Reporting: A Necessary Evil in Web Development Process

In its very nature, web development is a never-ending cycle of discovery, understanding, and refinement. It involves a complex process that requires careful planning, coding, and testing to build high-performing and reliable websites.

Yet, as any experienced web developer knows, even the most meticulously crafted websites can still experience issues and errors called bugs. These bugs can range in severity from mildly irritating to downright disastrous, which can quickly wreak havoc on a user’s experience. 

That’s why bug reporting is a necessary evil in the web development process. It cannot be overlooked or taken lightly, as it’s a key step in improving the efficacy and speed of fixing and mitigating bugs in both websites and web applications.

Smart Bug-Reporting Strategies

As a web developer, one critical skill you need to hone is the ability to report and track bugs. Here are a few strategies you can use to make your bug-reporting abilities effective, efficient, and organized:

1. Consult the Documentation

First and foremost, before submitting a bug report, check existing documents such as codebook entries, bug databases, or other supplemental materials to verify that the issue hasn’t been documented.

If it has, review the steps undertaken to resolve the issue and avoid duplication of efforts. By doing this, you can gain insights into other potential causes of the problem and its possible solutions and save time in the troubleshooting process at the same time. However,  in case you can’t find the issue in the existing documentation, you should move on to report it properly.

2. Make your bug report comprehensive.

When creating a bug report, input all the pertinent information that’s necessary to identify and resolve the issue. It should detail the browser version, operating system, hardware configuration, URL of the page where the bug occurred, screenshots or recorded video of the issue (if applicable), steps taken to reproduce it, and other relevant information.

Further, use descriptive language and include the expected outcome along with a timeline to create urgency. The more complete the bug report is, the faster and easier to identify, diagnose, and fix the issue.

3. Categorize bugs according to their severity.

Not all bugs are created equal, and there can be varying levels of severity. Prioritize bug reports based on their impact and label them accordingly: Critical, High, Medium, or Low.

Keep in mind that the more severe the bug is, the higher it should be on the priority list, as it can negatively affect user experience and cause system downtime. Some critical bugs are complete website failure, data loss, and security issues, while cosmetic issues, such as typos and incorrect font sizes or color, are classified as low priority.

4. Establish a bug-reporting procedure.

A clearly defined procedure will ensure consistency, resulting in a straightforward bug-reporting system and faster turnaround times. You can create a standard format or template for submitting bug reports to guarantee that no critical information is left out or forgotten. Additionally, you can develop a list of approved tools and processes, as well as assign specific bug-tracking responsibilities and timelines to establish a smooth process for reporting bugs and resolution. 

5. Utilize bug-tracking tools.

Another smart way to streamline the process of bug reporting, tracking, and resolving is by using dedicated bug-tracking tools. Popular bug-tracking tools, such as Bugzilla, JIRA, and Redmine, provide an organized platform for you to store and manage all bug reports and keep track of the progress made in resolving them. They also facilitate collaboration between web developers and other stakeholders, enabling accessible communication regarding any issue or update on its resolution.

6. Automate test suites wherever possible.

Automated test suites like Selenium, Appium, and Cypress are your best friends when it comes to bug reporting. They allow you to quickly test your web applications and websites on multiple browsers, operating systems, and platforms in various environments to identify any issues.

Moreover, these tools enable regression testing, which is essential for catching bugs introduced while fixing other ones and preventing fixed bugs from reappearing. Thus, save you time in troubleshooting and debugging, as you don’t have to manually check all areas of the code or test each feature of a web application or website.

7. Conduct peer review

Sometimes two heads are definitely better than one while dealing with complex production issues.  Involving peer review and collaboration with developers can help you craft more accurate bug reporting and faster resolution.

Other developers can assist you in writing a comprehensive, descriptive report and provide alternative solutions you might not have considered. Plus, pair and mob programming techniques will give you opportunities for direct coding sessions with experienced veterans to learn advanced techniques while simultaneously solving actual problems.

8. Capture and learn from mistakes

Once an issue has been resolved, take a moment to reflect on what went wrong and how it could have been prevented or addressed more quickly to identify and improve any potential weaknesses in your workflow or technical processes. Then, document the process thoroughly, from bug reporting to resolution, so you can use it as a reference when similar issues arise. Finally, you should update external parties, such as customers and business partners, to maintain trust and transparency.

Wrapping up

As web development frameworks and technology continue to advance and evolve, so must the web developers’ ability to report and track bugs. Just like any skill, bug reporting is something that you can improve with practice and patience.

So, the next time you encounter an issue on your web application or website, be sure to apply the strategies outlined above and watch your bug-reporting game soar!