Bug Logging Tools – Why You Need It? – A Detailed Overview

There are few things users find as frustrating as having to deal with bug-riddled applications. Every piece of software is designed to help perform a task or make life simpler. But when your app does not perform these tasks as it is meant to, it is sure to leave users irate.

Every developer knows that bugs are an inevitable part of product development. Every software project has them. And as projects grow complex and new features are added, even more bugs will be discovered.

While the certainty of bugs is understandable, it is inexcusable for users whose overall experience with using your product is disrupted. This is why bug logging systems are a necessary part of every product development project.

Bug Logging Definition

Bug logging, otherwise known as defect logging, refers to the process of recording and monitoring software errors that are discovered during testing or reported by users. It is also known by other names, such as defect tracking and bug tracking. Complex software built with several lines of code tends to have hundreds or even thousands of defects.

The process of evaluating, monitoring, and prioritizing the resolution of these bugs is known as bug logging.

Why Bug Logging is Crucial

Your customers want bug-free software. And in order to deliver a bug-free product experience, you need a system that makes it easier for you to organize and prioritize these bugs. You also need to collect sufficient information about them in order to make resolution easier, predict trends, and avoid future issues. This is why bug or defect logging is critical to your product development process.

Proactivity

Delivering a bug-free app is crucial to user retention. Thus, catching bugs quickly and fixing them as early as possible should be a top priority of every product development team. Bug logging also makes it possible to analyze and discover bug trends. This helps to prevent the recurrence of similar or related issues in the future.

Fix based on criticality

App bugs take various shapes and forms. While some bugs affect the core functionality of a product, others are minor and will have no significant impact on app performance. Since product development is time-bound, dev teams need to organize bugs based on their level of severity and fix them accordingly with the more critical ones first before lesser bugs are fixed.

Define the product experience

The last thing any user wants to deal with is a buggy product. Users will choose a more stable and bug-free product over one that has errors and impedes operations. Fixing bugs as soon as possible shows users that you are listening to them, and this is crucial to keeping your customers.

Improve returns

An efficient bug logging tool boosts the productivity of your development team quite significantly. It provides a centralized dashboard from where bugs can be organized, prioritized, and fixed accordingly. This shortens debugging time and eliminates delays in product delivery. The result is a reduction in the overall cost of product development and better returns on investment.

Finding trends and deep analysis

More than just resolving bugs at the moment, bug logging also serves as a centralized database where all bugs that have been identified and fixed are recorded. Consequently, deep analysis can be carried out to identify bug trends. This leads to easier identification of the root cause of bugs rather than just a blanketed solution to the symptoms of the problem. It also provides a reference point to future development efforts and helps to avoid similar issues.

Key Components of a Bug Logging Tool

Bug logging tools have different features that foster efficient bug tracking. While these features may vary from one tool to the other,

The following are essential components for your bug logging software:

List view and board view

Bug logging tools provide product development and testing teams with increased visibility. With a board view, teams can monitor how many bug tickets exist at various stages of their life cycle. Dashboards also keep track of crucial metrics that teams can use to improve productivity, streamline efforts, and display crucial information.

A powerful form builder

When bugs are discovered, whether internally (through testing) or externally (by the users), there’s a need to collect as much information about them as possible. Development and testing teams can then use the captured information to investigate the bug and decide the course of action. And in order to do this, the bug logging tool should have a powerful form builder that helps capture information at crucial points in the workflow and help team members access it during their investigation and resolution.

Customizable workflows

Defect logging is a complex process that requires a fair level of flexibility and customizability. Every bug is unique in the sense they do not have a set, defined path to resolution. As processes evolve, so does the need to have improved flexibility. A good bug logging tool allows organizations to visualize sophisticated bug tracking flows, and implement changes with ease.

A way to collaborate

Features such as in-app chat, notifications, and task collaboration make it easy for your development teams to work together. Bug resolution tasks can be assigned to different teams and monitored to prevent bottlenecks. Everyone is aware of the progress of each task and can work together seamlessly towards resolution. The transparency that bug logging software affords also makes it easier to keep your production team accountable throughout the process of bug tracking and resolution.

Analytics

A robust bug tracking tool generates lots of data that can be subjected to deeper analysis and used to create essential metrics. This helps to detect potential defect trends as new features are added to your software. These actionable insights can be used to develop strategies that can help reduce bugs and improve efficiency.

Conclusion

Bug logging is a crucial aspect of designing and building products that work. A robust bug logging tool like Kissflow Workflow gives product development teams the power to monitor, prioritize, and resolve bugs quickly and efficiently. By improving the efficiency of bug tracking, organizations like yours can deliver flawless, bug-free product experiences that not only delight customers but can provide a competitive advantage over the long run.

Simplified bug tracking, the Kissflow way. Try Kissflow Workflow today.