Defect management

Understanding defects, Tracking, Reporting and

Resolution process.
what is defect
An imperfection or abnormality that impairs
quality, function, or utility of a product.
What Is a Defect in Manufacturing?
A manufacturing defect typically occurs when something
goes wrong during the manufacturing process.

Manufacturing defects refer to imperfections or faults

that occur during the production process of such as
scratches, misalignment, or etching errors
 What is defect management?
 The defect management process in manufacturing is
the systematic process of identifying, documenting,
prioritizing, tracking, and resolving issues within a
product. These issues, often called defects, leakage, or
glitches, can range from minor inconveniences to critical
malfunctions. Effective defect management involves defect
tracking, root cause analysis, collaboration among
development teams, and implementing corrective measures.
The goal is to ensure the products meets quality standards
and user expectations, minimizing the impact of defects on
the final product and continually enhancing its reliability and
quality.
Key Terminology in the Defect
Tracking Process
To fully grasp the intricacies of defect tracking and make
the most of its benefits, it’s essential to understand the
terminology used within the process.
At the heart of the defect tracking process is the term
defect itself. In the realm of product development, a
defect is an imperfection or anomaly in the
test execution of the product that deviates from the
desired behavior. It’s a catch-all term encompassing
issues, errors, and anomalies that negatively affect the
product’s functionality or quality.
 Severity and Priority
Now, let’s delve into the nuances of severity
and priority. A defect’s severity indicates how
seriously it compromises the products ability to
perform its intended tasks. This classification
aids in prioritizing flaws according to the
severity of their effects. Priority, on the other
hand, shows the sequence in which issues
should be fixed, taking into account things like
commercial significance and urgency.

DEFECT STATUS
Defect management process
The defect management process
includes the following steps.
Defect prevention
Detecting defects during testing incurs
costs, as resolving them requires
additional time and resources, often
amounting to thousands of dollars.
Therefore, proactive defect prevention is
crucial. This stage primarily involves:
Proper planning and risk assessment.
At the product outset it’s crucial to evaluate
available resources, tools, and materials to
identify potential sources of errors and
shortcomings. For instance, assessing team size
and skill diversity can highlight areas prone to
misunderstandings and discrepancies.
Implementation of standard procedures.
Clear procedures, methodologies, and standard
practices is vital as they ensure consistency
across development phases and reduce the
likelihood of introducing defects due to
inconsistent practices.
Comprehensive documentation.
Creating comprehensive documentation
on requirements, specifications,
observations, etc., plays a significant role
in defect prevention. Clear and accessible
documentation helps mitigate errors
arising from misunderstandings or
incomplete information.
By focusing efforts on defect
prevention at the outset of
production, teams can significantly
reduce the occurrence of defects,
thereby enhancing product quality
and minimizing costs associated
with error fixing during later stages
of production.
Detecting and identifying
defects
Defect detection occurs during various
types of testing, including unit testing,
integration testing, and
acceptance testing. The primary goal at
this stage is to identify and capture as
many defects as possible while the cost of
fixing them remains relatively low. It's
important to note that achieving
maximum defect detection requires
testing under real user conditions.
Categorizing defects
Defects identified during testing vary in severity and
impact on the products. To effectively prioritize and
plan their resolution, defects are categorized into the
following levels:
Critical: defects that prevent the products from being
used
High: defects affecting core product functions

Medium: minor deviations from product requirement

Low: minor error causing slight inconvenience to users

Defect resolution
Once defects are identified, the team
prioritizes their resolution based on severity
then proceed to fix the defects, marking a
critical phase in the defect management
process.
Defect resolution verification
Upon resolving a defect, the development team
notifies testers of the fix. Testers verify the
resolution by re-executing the actions that initially
led to the defect. Once they confirm the issue is
resolved and poses no further threat to the products,
testers document their findings. This verification
marks the completion of the defect management
Reporting
It is beneficial to generate regular reports on
defect status, detailing open and resolved
defects, and average resolution times. This
practice ensures transparency and oversight
of the defect management process.
Continuous improvement
Defect management is an ongoing and
iterative process. Teams should analyze root
causes of defects, identify areas for process
improvement, and implement corrective
actions to prevent future occurrences
Best strategies for defect
management
1.Early defect prevention
2. Comprehensive testing
3. Collaborative development
4. Clear defect documentation
5. Effective defect tracking:
6. Smart prioritization
7. Continuous monitoring and feedback loop
8. Root cause analysis
9. Defect retrospectives: Regularly hold defect retrospectives
to review and analyse the causes of defects, helping the team
learn and improve.
10.Knowledge sharing: Share lessons learned from defect
management experiences across the team to improve awareness
and collaboration.
The importance of defect management
Enhanced product quality. Identifying and resolving
errors improves overall product quality, leading to an
enhanced user experience and increased customer
satisfaction. This focus on quality helps maintain a
competitive edge in the market.
Risk reduction. By identifying and resolving issues
early, defect management contributes to risk
reduction. This proactive approach helps prevent
potential product failures that could otherwise
jeopardize the user experience and damage brand
reputation.
Continuous improvement. A well-structured defect
management process provides valuable feedback for
continuous improvement. It allows teams to analyze root
causes of issues, facilitating proactive measures to prevent
similar problems from occurring in the future.
Prompt issue resolution. A systematic approach
ensures that no defect goes unnoticed, enabling quality
team to address issues promptly and maintain product
stability.
Cost efficiency. Effective defect management reduces
the need for costly fixes post-release, saving time and
resources in the long run. It also helps avoid the expenses
associated with handling customer complaints and support
issues.
How to Act When Defects Are Found in
Production
When defects are found in production, first of all, you need to
Reproduce the issue. Gather information about the defect and
attempt to reproduce it in the testing environment.
After that, you have to assess the impact and severity of the
issue to prioritize it for immediate resolution.
Inform your team about the defect to coordinate efforts for a quick
resolution.
After the fix is implemented, perform comprehensive testing to
ensure it doesn’t introduce new issues.
Learn from the incident to improve future release processes:
a) Record the root cause analysis and the corrective actions
taken to avoid similar issues.
b) Update test cases based on the lessons learned to cover potential
gaps.
c) Encourage open communication
Defect management is a critical part of
quality assurance that helps ensure defects
are identified, fixed, and verified quickly and
effectively. It also contributes to product
quality, customer satisfaction, team
productivity, and collaboration
THANK YOU
Q&A