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Defect Life Cycle

The defect life cycle explains how a defect is identified, tracked, fixed, verified, and closed. Understanding this cycle is essential for effective communication between QA, development, and stakeholders.

In real projects, defect handling reflects tester professionalism.

What is a Defect?​

A defect is any deviation between:

  • Expected behavior (requirement)
  • Actual behavior (application)

Common terms used interchangeably:

  • Bug
  • Defect
  • Issue

Context matters more than terminology.

Why Defect Life Cycle is Important​

  • Ensures defects are not lost
  • Provides visibility to all stakeholders
  • Tracks fix progress
  • Supports release decisions

Without a defined life cycle:

  • Defects are missed
  • Accountability is unclear
  • Quality suffers

Typical Defect Life Cycle States​

New → Assigned → Open → Fixed → Retest → Closed
               ↘ Rejected
               ↘ Deferred
               ↘ Duplicate

State names may vary slightly across tools, but flow remains the same.

1️⃣ New​

  • Defect is logged by tester
  • Awaiting review

Tester responsibility:

  • Ensure defect is reproducible
  • Provide clear details

2️⃣ Assigned​

  • Defect is assigned to a developer or team
  • Ownership is established

3️⃣ Open​

  • Developer starts working on the defect
  • Root cause analysis happens

4️⃣ Fixed​

  • Developer fixes the issue
  • Defect is moved to fixed status

Important:

Fixed does not mean verified.

5️⃣ Retest​

  • Tester re-tests the defect
  • Confirms whether fix works

Outcomes:

  • Pass → Close defect
  • Fail → Reopen defect

6️⃣ Closed​

  • Defect fix is verified
  • No further action required

Additional Defect States​

❌ Rejected​

  • Not a valid defect
  • Works as designed

⏸️ Deferred​

  • Fix postponed to future release

🔁 Duplicate​

  • Same issue already logged

🔓 Reopened​

  • Fix failed during retesting

Severity vs Priority (CRITICAL)​

Severity​

  • Impact of defect on system

Examples:

  • Critical
  • Major
  • Minor
  • Trivial

Priority​

  • Urgency of fixing defect

Examples:

  • High
  • Medium
  • Low

Key rule:

High severity does not always mean high priority.

Defect Life Cycle in Agile​

In Agile:

  • Defects are tracked within sprints
  • Faster turnaround
  • Continuous feedback
  • Regression after fixes

Tester role:

  • Immediate verification
  • Close collaboration with developers

Common Defect Management Mistakes ❌​

  • Poor defect description
  • Missing screenshots/logs
  • Logging duplicates
  • Reopening without evidence
  • Treating environment issues as defects

Interview-Ready Questions​

Q: What is a defect life cycle?
A: The process a defect goes through from identification to closure.

Q: Difference between severity and priority?
A: Severity is impact; priority is urgency.

Key Takeaways​

  • Defect life cycle ensures quality control
  • Clear states improve tracking
  • Retesting is mandatory
  • Severity and priority are different
  • Strong defect handling builds credibility