The ideal bug report

These are the four elements of an ideal bug report:

1. First a descriptive title and add then add a clear but as brief as possible description of the bug for context. In the title refrain from using words that add no information like 'bug' or 'issue' as that is clear from context.
   • Example: ** Title: Error screen on posting translated vote. ** Description: I get an error message when submitting a translation for a vote (if necessary: ‘in this and this system with this and this version’ etc.)
2. Determine and describe the reproduction path, that is the steps needed to make the bug occur
   • Example: I logged in, went to the translate form at URL http://..., filled in the form with this value in this field, this value in this field, etc. and then finally pressed the button ‘Vertaal nieuwe mening’
3. Then a description or preferably a screenshot of the resulting behavior
   • In this case the error message. Please include stack trace available.
4. Finally – and this is most often forgotten - a description of the desired/expected behavior from the system. The bug is actually defined as the difference between required and actual behaviour/response.
   • This is not very relevant in cases of an error message showing, then you just don’t want the error message to occur. But it can be different. In this example it is: the translated vote is stored, shown on the Italian site on the relevant medicine page AND the counter for the number of translations done is increased by one.

If you include these four things in a bug report you’re already a better tester than most!