Ship It! - 2.5 Track Issues

Common questions that an issue tracking system should be able to answer:

• what version of the product has the issue?
• which customer encountered the issue?
• how severe is it?
• has the problem been reproduced in-house and by whom?
• what was the environment?
• what version of the product first exhibited the issue?
• in what version was it fixed?
• who fixed it?
• who verified the fix?

Tip 8: Avoid collective memory loss

How Do I Get Started?

• pick an issue tracking system
• set up a test system for yourself and learn how to use it
• generate a one-page quick-start guide for internal users
• start keeping all new issues in this system
• move pre-existing issues over to the new system as time permits

Am I Doing This Right?

• can you generate a list of top-priority, unaddressed issues? How about second-tier issues?
• can you generate a list of last week's fixes?
• can your system reference the code that fixed the issue?
• do tech leads use the system to generate to-do lists for development?
• does your tech support guys know how to get information out of the system?
• can your system notify interested parties so others can see when an issue is fixed?

The issue tracking systems I've used have been, at best, horrible.  I'm waiting for the project that uses a reasonable set of tools which are integrated, like the stack from Atlassian.  I think you need integrated tools to answer questions about who fixed defect A, what was the fix and what build did it show up in.  If you have to repeat yourself between tools, you are going to get lazy or forget and the information won't be available to those who might need it.