The defect life cycle, also known as the bug life cycle, describes the stages a defect goes through, from its discovery to its resolution.
Here are the typical stages in the defect life cycle:
New: The defect is identified and reported by a tester or another stakeholder. At this stage, the defect is new and hasn't been reviewed or confirmed yet.
Assigned: The defect is assigned to a developer or a team responsible for fixing it. Assigning is a crucial step as it designates the person or team responsible for resolving the defect.
Open: The developer acknowledges the defect and begins investigating it. The defect is now in an open state, indicating that it is being actively worked upon.
Fixed: The developer has fixed the defect in the code. After fixing, the defect is marked as 'Fixed'. However, it doesn’t mean the defect is resolved entirely; it has only been corrected in the code.
Retest: The testing team tests the fixed defect to ensure that the issue has been resolved. If the defect is still present, it is reopened and sent back to the developer. If the defect is no longer there, it moves to the next stage.
Verified: The fixed defect has been successfully retested and verified by the testing team. It is now confirmed that the defect is resolved, and the status is marked as 'Verified'.
Closed: The verified defect is now closed, indicating that it has been fixed, tested, and confirmed as resolved. It remains in the system for future reference but is no longer actively tracked.
It's important to note that not all defects go through every stage. For instance, some defects might be rejected if they are not genuine issues, and some might be deferred for fixing in future releases if they are not critical. The defect life cycle helps in maintaining a structured approach to defect resolution, ensuring that issues are properly documented, resolved, and verified before they are closed.