A “Test Incident Report,” often abbreviated as TIR, is a document used in software testing to record and report incidents, anomalies, defects, or issues encountered during the testing process. Test incident reports are created when testers discover unexpected behavior, errors, or deviations from expected results in the software being tested. These reports play a vital role in managing and addressing defects in a systematic manner.
Key components typically included in a Test Incident Report are as follows:
- Incident Identifier: A unique identifier or reference number assigned to the incident for tracking and management purposes.
- Description: A clear and concise description of the incident, detailing what went wrong, what was observed, and how it deviates from expected behavior. This description should provide enough context for developers and other stakeholders to understand the issue.
- Date and Time: The date and time when the incident was detected.
- Incident Type: Classification of the incident, which may include categories like defects, errors, anomalies, crashes, performance issues, or other relevant types.
- Severity: An assessment of the incident’s severity, which helps prioritize the order in which defects are addressed. Severity levels typically range from low to critical.
- Priority: The priority level assigned to the incident, indicating its relative importance for resolution. Priority levels are used to schedule and allocate resources for fixing defects.
- Steps to Reproduce: Detailed step-by-step instructions on how to reproduce the incident, enabling developers to recreate the issue in their own testing environments.
- Actual Results: A description of what actually occurred when the incident was observed, including any error messages, unexpected behaviors, or outputs.
- Expected Results: A description of the expected behavior or results that should have occurred under normal conditions.
- Test Case or Test Scenario: Information about the test case or test scenario that initially identified the incident. This provides context for the incident’s discovery.
- Test Environment: Details about the test environment, including the hardware, software, configurations, and data used during testing.
- Reporter Information: The name and contact information of the person who reported the incident. This allows for communication between the tester and developers or other stakeholders.
- Attachments: Supporting materials, such as screenshots, log files, or data files, that provide additional evidence or context for the incident.
- Status: The current status of the incident (e.g., open, assigned, fixed, closed) and any associated comments or updates on its resolution.
Test incident reports are a critical part of defect management in software testing. They provide a structured way to document and communicate issues, ensuring that development teams can understand, address, and validate the fixes for reported defects. Test incident reports are often managed in a defect tracking or issue tracking system, where they are assigned, tracked, and resolved according to project priorities and schedules. The process of creating, tracking, and resolving incidents helps improve the quality of the software being tested.