What is Defect Lifecycle?
The defect lifecycle (also called the bug lifecycle) is the series of stages a defect passes through from initial discovery to final closure, typically including New, Assigned, Open, Fixed, Verified, and Closed. Teams add states such as Deferred, Rejected or Reopened, and the exact workflow is usually enforced by the issue tracker.
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What does Defect Lifecycle mean in practice?
When a tester discovers a defect, it enters the lifecycle as New. A lead or triage team reviews it and either assigns it to a developer (Assigned), rejects it as not-a-bug, or defers it. Once the developer starts working on it, it moves to Open, then Fixed when a code change is submitted. The QA team verifies the fix in the build, and if the defect no longer reproduces, it moves to Verified and finally Closed. If the fix is incomplete, it is Reopened.
A strong bug report accelerates every stage. It includes a descriptive title, environment details, precise reproduction steps, expected versus actual behavior, severity and priority, and supporting evidence (screenshots, logs, network traces). Teams that write poor bug reports waste cycles on back-and-forth clarification.
Defect triage is the process of prioritizing the backlog. Teams typically triage based on severity (impact on the user), priority (business urgency), and frequency (how many users are affected). Effective triage prevents low-impact bugs from blocking high-impact work and ensures critical issues get attention immediately.
Why do interviewers ask about Defect Lifecycle?
Interviewers ask about the defect lifecycle to assess your process maturity. Knowing the stages shows you understand not just finding bugs but managing them through resolution.
What does Defect Lifecycle look like in a real project?
A tester files a bug: "Checkout fails when cart contains more than 50 items." It is triaged as Severity-High, Priority-Medium because it affects edge-case users. The developer fixes the cart-size query, the tester verifies in staging, and the defect moves to Closed in one sprint.
How should you talk about Defect Lifecycle in an interview?
Go beyond listing stages. Discuss how you write effective bug reports, your approach to triage meetings, and how you handle disputes about severity versus priority.
Go Deeper on Defect Lifecycle
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Which terms relate to Defect Lifecycle?
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