By using a bug tracking application, computer programmers and quality control personnel can determine the cause of system problems. As a rule, this software is integrated with the other applications they use in software management, and it is particularly useful to any company attempting to develop new software products.

How a software bug tracking system works

It contains a data base that records information related to bugs that have already been detected—such as the time they were reported, their severity, their affect on the program, how they can be reproduced, the identity of those who reported the bugs, and the names of those who are attempting to solve the problem.

In general, such a system supports the idea that a bug has a life cycle that can be tracked via the status that has been assigned to it. A viable bug tracking system should permit an administrator to formulate permissions related to status, move the bug to another status, or delete it. Certain systems also notify interested parties when additional status changes have been made.

A bug tracking system should also provide a comprehensive overview of development requests that have been made and their current status. In addition, a list of pending items, which is prioritized, provides valuable information for everyone involved in producing the software.

Various uses for a bug tracking system

In a large organization, it can generate reports related to the productivity a programmer who has been assigned to repair the bugs, keeping in mind that these problems vary in complexity and severity, and that managers and program designers sometimes disagree on the best approach to take. Application support professionals often use a local bug tracker (LBT) as well to monitor users’ complaints that may be irrelevant in the actual software development process.

For the software to be effective, the bug tracking reports it generates must contain accurate information, and the first report is especially critical. Everyone involved should be aware that it should include three main points:
● a detailed explanation of the way in which the bug can be viewed in order to repair it,
● how the software was expected to function, and
● the problem the bug has created in using the software.

The last step will describe how the bug altered the program in detail, which will enable the bug tracking team to focus on the problem and determine exactly what needs to be done. If any of the three elements mentioned above is missing, the bug tracking report will prove to be useless and ineffective.