Identifying and Overcoming Common Software Bugs in QA Testing

types of bugs every tester should know

Software testing is a continuous process in agile project development. If you want to work in QA testing, you should know about defects in software engineering, commonly known as software bugs. It is crucial to understand the characteristics, consequences, and causes of mistakes in the SDLC process. Since the same problem can occur in different build versions, you must be careful about the SDLC process.

There are many types of software in the industry. Even if you are not a software engineer, it helps to know about types of software, types of bugs, and defects. This is especially true if you are a business or an organization that needs any computer system application. This article will allow you to classify the most common bug types that every tester must know. 

What is a software bug?

what exactly is software bugs

A  bug is any known or unknown error that occurs during an SDLC lifecycle. As per Wikipedia, “A software bug is an error, flaw or fault in a computer program or system that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways.”

What is software testing?

what exactly is software testing

Testing is the process of identifying a specific problem or problems during an app development. A person who performs functionality testing and flows information to developers is a tester.

A tester team identifies application bugs within a matter of a given timeframe. Then, the testing team provides the list to the system developers. They then fix the product errors before it is ready to use by an end user.

What are bug leakage and bug release in software testing?

In any testing project, bug leakage refers to a scenario when a bug that should have been found during the production phase is seen during a build process. Some bug leakage is intentional; others are not.  The intentional leakage of bugs in software testing is known as bug release.

What are the types of defects in software testing?

Defects can occur by anything. It includes incorrect calculations, application usability errors, functionality errors, compatibility errors, etc.

 Let’s take an example of the Facebook login process. If you are logging in from the Facebook website, you should at least have signed up using your email address. This is an example of a prerequisite for testers. But if you can log in to the system without any signup, this is a defect in production. The nature of this problem shouldn’t occur during the product launch. 

What are the types of software bugs? What causes a bug in computer systems?

Bugs usually occur due to unknown defects, control flow errors, command errors, data type mismatch, missing command, etc. 

Sometimes, the bugs can also occur due to communication errors. I have listed some of the most common examples of software bugs in the below section.

Some Common Types of Software Bugs

Different types of software bugs include Functional Errors, Data Type Mismatch, Data Duplication, Boundary Value Errors, Security Errors, Hardware Defects, Non-Functional Defects, Communication Errors, Error Handling Defects, Usability Errors, and Performance Errors. These software bugs or defects or errors (whatever you may call them) cause a serious problem while doing the project if treated untimely.

1. Command Error ( Algorithmic Errors) 

In a program, a control flow is an order in which individual functions are executed within a system. An error in the sequence or logic is known as a control flow error or a command error. Many reasons, e.g., wrong algorithm, missing command, incorrect data, or code errors, can cause command errors. Usually, a missing command is solved by a developer easily.

In an online ludo product, if you roll your dice after choosing a color, it is a sequential flow error.

2. Functional Errors

Each type of software has its unique quality requirements, including how it should work if used. A functionality error can occur whenever a software function fails to comply as expected. As an instance, you might recognize this as a functionality error if the minimize button on software closes the program.

3. Data Type Mismatch

They are one of the most common software bugs. Allowing the use of special characters in the Name field can be an example of this error. 

4. Data Duplication

In a banking world where information is crucial, data duplication errors are a point of no return. A bank should have a unique data page for a specific individual. 

5. Boundary Value Errors

Suppose you have set your password length to 15 on your Sign Up page. But, your testers can log in using a password of character length 16. This is a boundary value error.

6. Security Errors

software bugs and security errors

Security is the most crucial bit of your application product. No user should penetrate your security system through illegal hacking. One way to check whether your website is secure or not is through security testing.

7. Hardware Defects

Most common cause of software bugs can be a hardware defects

Software is only as good as the hardware capabilities of the devices it is intended to use. If it has hardware compatibility issues in devices, then the bug is known as a hardware defect.

8. Non-Functional Defects

Software applications should always be user friendly. No matter which device you use it on, its user display functionalities should be compatible. E.g., if you use a web application that lets you read an article, its displays should be both mobile and tablet friendly.

9. Communication Errors

Communication Errors can lead to command errors. Sometimes, there is a lack of communication between clients and developers in the design phase. So, the developers may develop a software bit differently than it is intended to. This is known as a communication error.

10. Error Handling Defects

Errors can arise when users are using the software, and they need to be planned carefully. If you don’t do this, it will lead to error handling defects. To solve the problems, it is essential to include error messages that users have to take. If a user types something wrong, he/she should get a reasonably clear message not to make the same error again.

11. Usability Errors

Usability software errors make software difficult to use and also affect the software experience of a user. Examples of usability errors include a content interface that is hard to search or access and an unnecessarily complicated signup process. Science Soft’s research engineers and business analysts (or UX designers) should verify software during usability testing against usability specifications and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to detect those errors.

12. Performance Errors

Deficiencies in performance are related to speed, stability, response time, and resource consumption by software. A system’s response time is X times longer than what the requirements specify is an example of a performance error.

Conclusion

Identification of errors, classification, documentation, and deletion are all part of Quality Management activities.

Prevention, however, is more vital than recovery. At any point in time in the Software Development Life Cycle, the core issue of Software Quality Assurance is defining inspection and testing processes.

The goal is to spot errors as quickly as possible. It’s because the expenses of detecting and fixing bugs increase significantly as software testing progresses. Therefore, early detection of software errors is essential.

During the requirements specification stage, fixing an error is the cheapest. It might become relatively more expensive for each step and is most costly in the post-release replacement process.

Therefore, it is crucial to detect, check for, and notify every error that we catch, mostly during the testing process.

As the severity and priority levels of the error affect the management process evaluation’s efficiency and can affect penalties and charges in outsourced improvement, it is essential to identify the requirements for reducing the error’s severity and importance that connect to the project. 

If you find you need to check on the improvement of severity and target evaluation requirements or other error review activities, please leave us a request.

Also, If you like this post, check out our other articles. Our articles will help provide information related to software development and guide you in choosing the right App Development Company for your needs.

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