How to Reduce Production Defects

We all commit mistakes. Such mistakes include cutting off other drivers on the way to work or forgetting turn off the lights before leaving the house. As a software developer, it might be introducing a defect into the latest software project. Even though defects are unavoidable in the developmental phase, they can be spotted, resolved, or prevented prior to reaching the production environment. Software testers can overcome this situation by using a defect management software testing tool.

But, in this article, we will explore some methods used to reduce production defect. This will play an important role in improving software quality, decrease regressive issues, enhance inter-team communication, and grow customer satisfaction.

1. Alter Organizational Perception About Defects

A majority of the organizations and businesses have a great tendency to look at the defects in an unhealthy and skewed light. Defects are unavoidable at some point throughout the whole software development life cycle. Yet, the majority of the old-style organizations see error and defect management as a battle to defeat the bugs. There is a very little acknowledgment about defect occurrence and strong processes to fight it must be well-planned and executed.

Although defect in the development phase is a certain evil, the goal should not be only to remove bugs, but rather to form procedures and practices that streamline the spotting, debugging and resolution of defects. These procedures must be applied in the preliminary development life cycle and need continuous improvement. Following healthy practices, the defect can no longer be considered unavoidable.

This variation in attitude, for well-established companies that may be familiar to more old-style outlooks on the defect, is complex. Managers and executives are advised to alter their perception that defects are unavoidable and instead, see defects as exceptional. This alteration in perception will navigate downward throughout the company. This will lead to a paradigm change in the group thinks attitudes about defects. It would also open a path towards changes in the way organization deal with issues, which will lead to a reduction in production defects.

2. Examine Requirements of The Software

Meet the development leads and managers to have an overview of the software requirements. This is used to identify the requirements significant for the app and detailed component or feature specific requirements. The main advantage of this practice is finding possible drawbacks and stopping a bigger part of unimportant defects that otherwise crop up down the road.

For example, during an in-depth analysis of software requirements, you may come to the conclusion that the data layer implementation that was already planned may not function with a required 3rd party component. Thus, the requirements must be changed to another solution. If you fail to identify issues at an early stage of the development lifecycle, there will be a variety of painful issues. Ignoring them for a long time can lead to a slew production defects that could have been prevented easily. Since the vast majority of defects that occur in an app’s development is associated to failures in software requirement planning — as opposed to real implementation and coding issues — it is important that this procedure must be taken seriously. So, it should be performed both often and early.

3. Frequent Practice of Code Refactoring

After examining the software requirements, it is important to implement organization-wide code refactoring practices. The main aim is to redesign and enhance the structure of the already present code, without alteration of its fundamental behavior. The examples of code refactoring entail fixing improperly methods or names variables, and decreasing repeated code down to a single function or method.

This self-review procedure on code should also encompass peer review. Many companies find great success in pair programming methods. In these methods, two individuals sit together in actual code development, one developer writes the code and the other watches like an observer. Even though this practice grows the man-hours needed to complete any given line of code studies prove that code generated from pair programming will entail 15% lesser defects as compared to code produced by single programmers.

One of the best methods to decrease production defects via any type of code review is to guarantee that the processes your organization has established are practiced. This will lead to the creation of habitual procedures that always catch possible problems and present defects before reaching the production environment.

4. Carry Out Aggressive Regression Testing

Regression testing is a sort of software testing that denies or confirms the software components’ functionality after they undergo modifications. When some modifications are made to the software and the defect is detected, this testing technique is needed to confirm the issue and attempt to fix it. It must be performed on a regular basis, such as weekly, bi-weekly and every day.  They should also be performed anytime a revealed issue has been fixed. By carrying out aggressive regression testing, you detect and resolve more issues. This leads to a dramatic reduction in production defects.