In simple words, a defect, bug or a fault in a software application is a mistake that a programmer does while developing the product. These mistakes basically turn out to be faults or errors in the software and are generally known as defects.

Some of the commonly known defects are given below

  • During the software testing process, if the result obtained deviates from the expected result, then it is called as an error or a defect. Since, any deviation from the requirements means that the product is not meeting the requirements and is hence, defect or error in the application.
  • When the end working result of the software application does not meet the end user expectations, it is known as a bug or a defect. These bugs or defects generally occur if there is an error in logic or in coding due to which the end working result is a failure or unpredictable.

Some additional information regarding Bugs, Defects or Errors is given below

During the process of software testing, if a large number of errors are detected then the situation is called Buggy.

When a tester finds a defect or an error, then he has to convey the report to the developers. Thus, testers report bugs as they find it and these detail steps of reporting are known as Bug Reports, Issue Reports, Problem Reports, etc.

These Bug Reports usually consist of the following information

  • Defect ID: Every bug or defect found has a unique identification number
  • Defect Description: This report includes the abstract of the issue
  • Proud Version: This report includes the product version of the application in which the defect is found
  • Detail Steps: This report includes detailed steps of the problem along with the screenshots so that the developers can fix it
  • Date Raised: This signifies the exact date when the bug or error was reported
  • Reported By: This includes the specific details of the tester who detected the error, like name and ID
  • Status: This refers to the status of the defect found, like Newly Assigned, Open, Retest, Verification, Closed, Failed, Deferred, etc.
  • Fixed By: This includes the specific details of the developer who fixed the error, like name and ID
  • Date Closed: This signifies the exact date when he bug or error was fixed
  • Severity: Based on the severity, i.e. Critical, Major or Minor, it reports the damage done by the error in the software application
  • Priority: Based on the priority, i.e. High, Medium or Low, an order is defined in which the defects can be fixed

In Layman terms, defects, errors, bugs or faults are all the mistakes that are detected in the software application caused by human errors while developing the software application. It is extremely necessary to fix these errors in the software application before the product is delivered to the client or end user to keep the product confidence, increase publicity and to improve the business market. This is where software testing plays a key role.