Nowadays the competition at the software development market is high and in order to get new and retain old clients you have to offer more than simple web or software development. You have to develop high quality programs or software solutions quickly and effectively. Your applications should work perfectly and should ensure failure free performance for a long time. This requirement can be met by means of using innovative technologies and systems which will let you render excellent services to your customers.
One of such systems is a bug tracking system which is specially designed for tracking and managing bugs in programs or sites. Despite all its complexity as some users can say, a bug tracking program provides a great number of benefits over other competitors – direct letters to developers or spreadsheets.
Let’s take just one typical bug tracking system and compare it with Google Spreadsheet and direct e-mails to software developers.
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Bug Tracker
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Google Spreadsheet
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E-mails to developers
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Possibility of tracking the bug status
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The system assigns statuses for each bug (problem) that can be tracked and monitored personally as well as using the system of notification or RSS
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One can track statuses by means of changing manually the color of the cells. Notification is not available.
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In case of minor bugs and heavy work load, tracking individual bugs is simply impossible.
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Quality of bug description
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There are obligatory fields for categories, repeatability, description, undertaken measures, etc.
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One can realize additional fields in the columns but there’s no guarantee of their fulfillment.
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In most cases the whole description can be placed in one short note “Reports failed. Help needed”
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Possibility of attaching files
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Any files can be attached at any time
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No files can be attached at all
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No files can be attached after sending the message
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Bug commenting
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Commenting is available as in usual blogs
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Commenting is available by means of adding new columns and expanding the table
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Commenting is possible by joining another person to the correspondence but at that he won’t be aware of the previous letters
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Collaboration
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System of roles and access rights
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Everybody sees everything but nobody is responsible for anything
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Bug discussion is private
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Many companies find that the integrated bug tracking system reduces the idle time and costs, improves productivity and increases clients’ satisfaction with the performance of the program. Alongside with complete information disclosure, the open bug tracking system lets software manufacturers maintain the contact with their clients and re-sellers and inform them on the fly about bugs during the whole development process and the measures undertaken to correct them.
There are many good bug tracking systems, such as Mantis (http://www.mantisbt.org/),BugZilla (http://www.bugzilla.org/),Comindware Tracker(http://www.comindware.com/tracker/),Redmine (http://www.redmine.org/ ), JIRA (http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/overview/ ).
In my opinion, a bug tracking system is a ‘must-be’ in any company and is more effective than other similar ways of reporting bugs, especially if it’s a software development one and if it is interested in clients and further growth. What do you think? Is it possible to do without a bug tracker? If yes, then when?
Hi, my name’s Steward Copper and I am the owner of Project Management Insights. While working as a project coordinator and BA, I have tried almost all possible PM tools, BA instruments, collaboration programs, including tracker and task management software solutions. I also write for different blogs sharing my knowledge and observations.