Have you ever heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder”? Well, that is what the “new” bug report and template is all about!
There are many instances throughout your day (and the day of your trusted Quality Assurance team) where implementing this can help improve efficiency, increase accuracy, and make your life much easier.
Do you have that sneaking suspicion that there are ways that your testing life and that homemade bug report can be improved? But how?
With tools and software that offer automated processes and visual communication options, your QA team can increase efficiency without sacrificing detailed documentation.
This will inherently save company resources and increase your bottom line.
Here’s a sneak peek of the bug-reporting templates from Usersnap. Do they look a bit too simple? That is thanks to metadata all captured automatically, so the reporters don’t have to fill them out manually.
Advantages of accurate bug reporting template
Accuracy and efficiency are crucial in determining if your software development team will run like a well-oiled machine.
This will keep your web project or web app running at peak performance.
Producing accurate bug reports presents many advantages, including:
- Without unnecessary confusion or assumptions because of ambiguous bug reports, you can set your developers up to work optimally.
- Reporting bugs through a comprehensive and accurate bug report not only provides the symptoms of bugs but can also provide solutions.
- Utilizing bug report templates will make writing good bug reports habitual.
- Usersnap easily annotates screenshots directly in your browser.
Let’s take a look at some of the options available to improve your business testing life through these bug templates and what they should include.
1. Usersnap – Bug reporting template
Usersnap is an industry-leading user testing and bug reporting platform which allows organize and track bug reports. In doing so, it allows for quick resolution of problems by your developers.
This means less time until your product is in the hands of your consumers.
One of the best features of Usersnap is that it allows you to easily annotate screenshots directly in your browser.
You will never run into the problem of wondering if your bug reports are detailed enough to allow for a quick resolution as the metadata is already included the bug report.
Data automatically included in a Usersnap bug report
- Browser Version
- Screen Resolution
- Operating System
- URL
- Date Stamp
- Visual Annotation of Bugs
- Console Error Logs
- Requestor
- Screenshot of the issue
- all comments and annotations
The bug tracking solution allows for fast and clear communication between tester and developer.
The best part is if you are managing a large QA team, your agents will love the easy setup.
Usersnap partners with leading names in the user testing, product management, and CX spaces and it has an API for customizing its usability.
This allows you to seamlessly connect Usersnap with the software solutions of your choice.
Integrations include Jira, SalesForce, Asana, Basecamp, Trello and many more.
Check out the full list of integrations here & Get your free 15-Day Usersnap trial today.
2. JIRA – bug reporting and bug tracking template
JIRA is one of the most widely used and well-known ticketing platforms utilized in businesses today.
It allows easy communication and tracking of tickets between everyone involved within your team.
One thing that JIRA is well known for is the clearly defined fields and the ease in customizing or excluding certain fields of the bug report form.
Depending on the project, you may need to omit or add fields within the report.
To access the issue creation module just click “Create” on the top menu bar.
Here is a summary of the default template for bug reports within JIRA:
- Project: Input which website or app you are testing
- Issue Type: Bug
- Summary: Input your title here (Example: “Mobile — menu does not open”)
- Components: Which page the bug occurred on (Example: Homepage)
- Description: This is where you would put the URL, the steps to reproduce, include your screenshots, assign priority, and paste the Javascript Console errors.
- Labels: Where the error originated from (Example: navigation)
- Epic Link: This is a way to group certain related stories together that support common a goal. Epics general span across several sprints but may only be related to one area of the project. (Example: Mobile Expansion, 2018)
- Sprint: The sprint number this is and what business quarter this is occurring in (Example: Q2, Sprint 3)
Although it’s very good to track bugs it’s also very time-consuming to actually put the multiple bugs into Jira.
That’s why we created an integration between Jira and Usersnap
Just take a screenshot, annotate the issue with Usersnap and it will be automatically sent to your selected Jira project.
Simple as that, all the metadata is already included and your team can start resolving the reported bug.
Do you use JIRA? Great!
Integrate Usersnap, you can try it for free for 15 days.
3. ClickUp – bug reporting/tracking template
ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity app designed for all users—from solo programmers to large software development enterprises.
Whether you use a traditional or agile project approach, it provides an intuitive experience that lets you manage your workload, track project updates, and collaborate with your team.
The platform also offers a robust library of fully-loaded, bug reporting templates and tracking templates to help teams optimize their workflow including its Bug Queues and Issue Tracking template for reporting, tracking, and prioritizing bugs in the same place you do the rest of your work.
Productivity is at the core of every ClickUp feature, and this flexible bug tracking template helps QA analysts, engineers, or any Agile team save time on issue tracking with pre-built views, Custom Statuses, Custom Fields, and more.
Types of views
The template is packed with tools and five highly visual views to customize and streamline your bug report process including:
- List view: See all of your issue tracking tasks at a glance and organize them by priority or Scrum points
- Board view: Prioritize and sort bugs by customer impact or status on a drag-and-drop Kanban board
- Workload view: Monitor your team’s workload and easily identify bottlenecks
- Form view: Collect bug report submissions with customizable bug report Forms, then organize your response data
- Timeline view: Schedule team-wide initiatives across a horizontal timeline
In this template, you’ll also find pre-saved Lists to organize crucial aspects of issue tracking, pre-built and customizable Bug Report Forms, and more.
Plus, you can connect ClickUp to over 1,000 work tools to streamline your team’s workflow even further—including !
Add unlimited members and tasks and get 1,000 MB of storage with ClickUp’s Free Forever Plan, and gain access to more advanced features with paid plans starting at $5.
4. Trello – bug tracking template
Trello is a powerful, project management tool and collaboration platform that neatly organizes your projects into what they call “boards”.
If you do not know Trello yet, here is an introduction video.
For bug tracking purposes, labeling Trello cards by the priority of the bug seems to work best:
- Critical
- Major
- Minor
- Trivial
Here is a summary of the default template for bug reports within Trello:
- Description: Input the bug title and description
- Actual Behavior: Describe in detail what actually happened. Basically, how the bug manifested.
- Expected Behavior: What was supposed to happen? This is important because you may have misunderstood something or missed a step, which is equally valuable information for the developer/designers.
- Steps to Reproduce: Input step-by-step instructions on how to reproduce the bug. The more detailed the steps, the easier it is for the developer to track down the problem. Try not to assume anything.
- Troubleshooting/Testing Steps Attempted: Did you try to fix it on your own? What did you try? Fine if N/A.
- Workaround: Did you find a workaround to the problem despite the bug? What was it? Fine if N/A.
Like Jira, Trello is well suited to track bugs.
However, it’s also time-consuming if you have a lot of bugs to report.
Yes, you might have guessed it already: there’s an integration between Trello and Usersnap.
Just take a screenshot, annotate your issue with Usersnap and it will be automatically sent to your selected Trello project.
Simple as that, all the metadata (like browser, software version used, operating system, etc) is already included and your team can start resolving the reported bug in no time.
Already using Trello? Combine it with Usersnap!
Try it for free for 15 days
5. GitHub – bug report tracking template
A bug is called an “issue” in GitHub. You can create an issue with notes to describe the problem and use assigning and label features to track the issue solving process. Or send in annotated screenshots from Usersnap to make things easier!
Creating a bug report tracking template on GitHub is a straightforward process. GitHub provides an Issues feature that can be used to track and manage bug reports. You can create a template to guide users on what information to provide when reporting a bug.
To create a template like this on GitHub, follow these steps:
- Go to your GitHub repository.
- Click on the “Issues” tab.
- Click the “New Issue” button.
- In the issue description area, paste the template.
- Customize the template as needed for your project.
- Users can now create new bug reports based on this template by clicking the “New Issue” button and selecting the template from the “Choose a template” dropdown.
This template helps standardize bug reporting, making it easier for contributors to provide the necessary information for effective bug tracking and resolution.
6. GitLab – bug tracking template
GitLab is a very similar tool to GitHub. Here you can see the issue processing status is on the right column. As most companies won’t have all the employees with access and profound knowledge of Git repositories, it is easier to have a issue reporting tool that’s user friendly on your website/application that can integrate with your Git repository.
To create template on GitLab for bug tracking, follow these steps:
- Go to your GitLab project.
- Click on the “Issues” tab.
- Click the “New issue” button.
- In the issue description area, paste the template.
- Customize the template to fit your project’s needs.
- Users can create new bug reports based on this template by clicking the “New issue” button and filling out the details.
Regarding integrating a user-friendly issue reporting tool with your website/application that can integrate with Git repositories, GitLab itself provides APIs that can be used to create issues programmatically. You can build a custom bug reporting form in your application that interacts with the GitLab API to create issues in your GitLab repository. This allows you to tailor the reporting process to your specific needs while integrating seamlessly with your GitLab workflow.
Read more about GitHub versus GitLab and how to implement continuous integration and deployment workflows.
7. Excel or Google Spreadsheet bug tracker – Sample bug report template
Another option to utilize as a ready-to-go bug reporting template is a spreadsheet in Excel or Google Spreadsheets.
Reporting software bugs in this way can be a very manual and cumbersome process.
However, smaller teams of a handful of people can still benefit from this option.
In this template, you’ll find all the critical elements you need to report bugs in a structured way using manual spreadsheets.
Get your template here:
8. Word or Google Docs bug reporting template
Very similarly to using Excel as a bug reporting tool, using text writing applications like Word or Google Docs results in another cumbersome method.
This may not be very practical compared to other options.
To ensure you are creating detailed and accurate bug reports using this method, you would use all of the critical fields we have covered so far.
Get your template here:
9. Email – Bug reporting
Utilizing a quick email to send a bug report to a team member is by far the most inefficient and organized way of bug reporting and bug tracking systems.
But, occasionally there may be instances outside of work hours or similar occurrences where this might be the best way.
For example, if there is a critical bug or error happening and it needs to be immediately communicated to a fellow team member who can then submit a formal bug report.
Get your template here:
10. Zendesk and bug tracking
Your customer/end-users will also find bugs and submit that to you. When they do this, as most customer will have less technical knowledge, they will start very simple. This means your customer support will have to be very patient to lure out the exact issue to file the bug report that makes sense for your developers.
If you want to shorten this process, try to make it easier for the customers with tools that can capture metadata automatically while allowing the customers to express themselves in a straight forward way.
Usersnap can integrate with customer care tool like Zendesk and Intercom, as well as other chat services that can connect with Zapier.
Or you can embed the visual feedback tool directly in your help widget – see how Canva does it.
Empower your users to help you spot bugs and use the easist way to close the feedback loop.
11. Slack – bug reporting and tracking
Many team now use Slack as their prime internal communication tool, like we do. But sharing a image to and within Slack is still rather tedious. Which means your team’s valuable time is getting wasted by the minute!
But there is a shortcut to send a bug from your browser directly to Slack, which is Usersnap. You capture the bug and write down your message via Usersnap’s browser extension or in-app widget and that will appear in your Slack #BugReporting channel (if you have one, if not create one!)
Usersnap can connect with over 30 third party tools, and 1000+ through Zapier.
Bug reporting process and feedback sharing is made easier and quicker allowing you to spend time on building and fixing the right things.
12. Using templates for bug tracking in Asana
In recent years, Asana has become the professional option to more straightforward project management solutions.
Asana is wonderful for work management, but a growing number of teams are now utilizing it as a bug tracker.
Users may find it difficult to create a comprehensive bug report on Asana. Fortunately, utilizing Usersnap for Asana may drastically accelerate this process.
This issue report template allows you to capture screenshots, annotate them, and turn them into Asana tasks with the press of a button whenever you discover an issue on your website.
If your team uses Asana, sign up for a free trial of Usersnap.
13. Bug tracking in Wrike using templates
Wrike’s objective is to help consumers achieve the best work of their lives by improving the planning, management, and completion of work.
Wrike encourages standardization and assures cross-functional cooperation in a safe environment as the only enterprise-ready, cloud-based collaborative work management platform that is completely customizable for any department, team, or workflow.
Usersnap allows you to capture screenshots, annotate them, and turn them into Wrike tasks with a single click whenever you identify a problem on your website.
14. Shortcut bug report template
The collaborative project management software Shortcut optimizes and improves your current software development process. It is comprehensive, quick, and potent, making it appropriate for bug reporting.
However, customers may find it difficult to create such a comprehensive problem report in Shortcut.
Fortunately, utilizing Usersnap for Shortcut may drastically accelerate this process.
Usersnap bug report example allows you to capture a screenshot, annotate it to make your point, and turn it into a new Shortcut task with the press of a button.
15. Zoho bug tracking template
Zoho’s bug tracking template is a versatile tool that simplifies the process of identifying and resolving software bugs. With its user-friendly interface, it accommodates both technical and non-technical team members, promoting collaboration. Customization options allow teams to tailor bug tracking to their project’s unique requirements, whether that involves defining custom fields, setting up workflows, or creating specialized reports.
Additionally, the template seamlessly integrates with other Zoho applications and third-party tools, facilitating automatic updates, notifications, and data sharing between different systems. This ensures that everyone stays informed and no critical issues are overlooked.
In summary, Zoho’s bug tracking template is a powerful solution that enhances bug management, streamlines workflows, and ultimately elevates software quality. Its user-friendliness, adaptability, and integration capabilities make it a top choice for teams striving to efficiently manage software bugs.
How to write a bug report – What an ideal template should includes
If a bug report is missing information or not laid out clearly, your developers may not understand the context of the problem.
A better quality bug report equals an increase in productivity.
Ready-to-use bug defect report templates all utilize several core pieces.
These should always be included to ensure you are accurately reporting website issues and providing an opportunity for them to easily be corrected:
Bug ticket number or ID
The most obvious one, but also one of the most crucial pieces. Your bug report needs a bug number or ID.
Making sure each bug is assigned a clear identification number (like swb001) allows it to easily be tracked by each member of your team.
The current status of it can be determined and allows for a seamless testing, remediation, and retesting process.
Bug title
Your bug title is arguably the second most important piece of your bug report.
A bug title is read more frequently than any other part of the bug report and should be clear and concise.
Everybody should be able to determine what the bug is without having to open the entire report.
Console bug logs
By gathering console logs and bug logs, it will be much simpler for your developers to replicate and fix any bug.
It is also essential to include what operating system, browser configurations, and versions are being utilized when the bug is present.
This provides clear instructions on how the bug can be reproduced by your developers.
Priority
Priority of bug fixes is determined by severity of bug priority.
Having a clear definition of priority will ensure that the most troublesome problems within your site are being fixed first.
More time should not be spent on recommended UI enhancements than a bug that shuts the whole thing down.
Bug report templates defined a bug as a blocker, critical, major, minor, trivial, or a suggestion and bug priorities from P1 to P5.
Bug description
A well-defined bug description allows for an easy understanding of the bug and what happens.
If a bug has a confusing or incomplete description then it will create more problems for your developers who are tasked with resolving bugs remedying the issue.
Intended vs actual results
Be as descriptive as possible when describing the results you anticipated. Simply stating “the program does not function as expected and actual results not as planned” is not enough. Additionally, it is useful to detail your real experience.
Steps to reproduce
A winning bug report also includes clearly defined steps to reproduce the bug that the tester encountered.
The more specific and detailed you outline each step individually, the quicker the bug can be corrected.
Always make sure that each individual step is outlined and don’t omit steps that are implied.
Reproduce the bug three times before you report it.
Screenshots and annotation
Include a clear screenshot of the point of failure and when the bug occurred.
Also, make sure to add an accurate caption for the screenshot and a highlighting colour that stands out.
It is very true that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Now that we know some of the essential things that each bug report should include let’s take a look at some of the available options for a ready-to-use template bug report that will ensure uniformity and clear communication throughout your team.
Wrapping it up
So as you can see, there are quite a few options available for bug reporting and tracking.
There are also several variations of ready-to-use bug report templates that can help increase your QA teams efficiency and ensure clear communication with your dev team.
A good bug report will always easily paint a visual picture for your developer and allow them to quickly reproduce the problem and resolve it.
The more detailed and organized you can be in describing, numbering, and labeling the bugs, the more streamlined your bug reporting and bug tracking tool and system will be.
Overall, it’s best to be as descriptive as possible about the bug you’re encountering so that engineers can swiftly recreate and fix it. Additionally, it aids engineers in estimating how long the resolution may take. The quicker a repair can be implemented, the more data developers have.
Utilize a ready-to-go bug report template in a comprehensive system like Usersnap to work smarter and not harder.
Capture user feedback easily. Get more insights and make confident product decisions.
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And if you’re ready to try out a customer feedback software, Usersnap offers a free trial. Sign up today or book a demo with our feedback specialists.
