Stop 02 · Manual Testing FundamentalsTopics · 10/11

Bug Life Cycle

In short

A bug isn't just 'found' and 'fixed'. It moves through clear stages, and knowing them means nothing gets lost between QA and developers.

The stages a defect moves through — new, assigned, in progress, fixed, retested, closed (or reopened) — a shared workflow that keeps a team aligned on where every reported issue actually stands.

The purple blob hands a wrapped parcel to a delivery rider on a scooter.

Think of it like this

Tracking a courier parcel

Your parcel goes from booked to picked up, in transit, out for delivery and delivered. If the address is wrong, it's returned and sent again. Everyone can see the status at each step. Bugs work the same way.

Watch it happen

One bug from report to closed

New

Assigned

In progress

Fixed

Retest

Closed

1/7QA logs the bug: coupon makes the total negative. Status: New.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Reopened is normal

If a retest fails, the bug goes back. Always say exactly what still fails.

Other exits exist

Bugs can also be marked Rejected, Duplicate, Deferred to a later release, or Can't reproduce.

Only QA closes

In most teams the tester who verifies the fix closes it, not the developer who made it.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Closing a bug because the developer said 'fixed'.

Do this instead

Always retest on the deployed build with the original steps before closing.

Oops

Arguing in comments when a bug is rejected.

Do this instead

Add evidence like a video or logs, link the requirement, and discuss it in triage.

Your mission

Run a bug through a board

~15 min

Quick check

You retest a 'Fixed' bug and it still happens. What should you do?

Go deeper

1Diagram the standard bug life cycle stages in order.
2Learn what 'reopened' means and why it's a healthy part of the process, not a failure.
3Practice tracking a bug through this life cycle in a sample bug tracking tool.