Bug Lifecycle

Understanding the journey of a bug from discovery to closure

What is Bug Lifecycle?
Bug lifecycle refers to the various stages a bug goes through from when it's first discovered until it's completely resolved and closed. Understanding this lifecycle helps teams manage defects efficiently and maintain software quality.
Bug Lifecycle Diagram - Click to Jump to Details
New
↓
Assigned
↓
In Progress
↓
Fixed
↓
Verified
↓
Closed
Alternative Paths
Rejected
Duplicate
Deferred
Reopened
🐛
1
New
New
A tester discovers a defect and creates a new bug report. The bug is documented with details including steps to reproduce, expected vs actual behavior, severity, and priority. At this stage, the bug awaits review and assignment.
Responsible Role
Tester/QA Engineer: Creates detailed bug report with reproduction steps, screenshots, and environment details
↓
👤
2
Assigned
Assigned
The bug has been reviewed by the team lead or manager and assigned to a developer. The developer acknowledges the bug and begins analyzing the issue to understand the root cause and plan a fix.
Responsible Roles
Team Lead/Manager: Reviews and assigns bug to appropriate developer
Developer: Acknowledges assignment and begins investigation
↓
👨‍💻
3
In Progress
In Progress
The developer is actively working on fixing the bug. This involves identifying the problematic code, implementing a solution, and ensuring the fix doesn't introduce new issues. The developer may update the bug with progress notes.
Responsible Role
Developer: Analyzes root cause, implements fix, performs unit testing, and updates bug tracker with progress
↓
🔧
4
Fixed
Fixed
The developer has completed the fix and the code changes have been committed. The bug is now ready for testing. The developer provides details about the fix and which build/version includes the correction.
Responsible Roles
Developer: Commits code, updates bug with fix details and build version
Code Reviewer: Reviews code changes for quality and completeness
↓
✅
5
Verified
Verified
The tester has confirmed that the bug has been fixed. Testing is performed to ensure the issue no longer occurs and that the fix hasn't caused any regression. If the bug is successfully resolved, it moves to the closed state.
Responsible Role
Tester/QA Engineer: Retests bug in specified build, performs regression testing, and confirms fix is working
↓
🔒
6
Closed
Closed
The bug has been resolved and verified. It's now closed and documented for future reference. The bug remains in the system's history and can be referenced if similar issues arise in the future.
Responsible Roles
QA Lead/Manager: Reviews verification results and officially closes bug
Project Manager: Updates project metrics and documentation
Additional States
Reopened - Bug reappears after being closed
Rejected - Not a valid bug or cannot reproduce
Deferred - Fix postponed to future release
Duplicate - Same issue already reported
Important Notes
Not all bugs follow this exact path. Some may be rejected if they're invalid, marked as duplicates if already reported, or deferred to a later release. A bug can also be reopened if it reappears after being closed, returning it to the assigned or in-progress state.