What are the most common mistakes to avoid when prioritizing bugs in Bugzilla?

1 Mistake #1: Not using severity levels

One of the most basic and important ways to prioritize bugs in Bugzilla is to assign them a severity level, ranging from blocker to trivial. Severity levels indicate how much the bug affects the functionality, performance, or usability of the software, and help developers and testers identify the most critical and urgent issues. However, some teams neglect to use severity levels, or use them inconsistently or subjectively, resulting in confusion and inefficiency. To avoid this mistake, you should define clear and objective criteria for each severity level, and apply them consistently across your team and project. You should also review and update the severity levels as the project evolves and new requirements emerge.

2 Mistake #2: Not using dependencies

Another useful feature of Bugzilla is the ability to create dependencies between bugs, indicating that one bug depends on another bug being fixed before it can be resolved. Dependencies help developers and testers understand the relationships and dependencies between bugs, and prioritize them accordingly. However, some teams fail to use dependencies, or use them incorrectly or incompletely, resulting in missed or duplicated work, or unresolved bugs. To avoid this mistake, you should create dependencies whenever a bug is related to or caused by another bug, and make sure to update them as the bugs are fixed or changed. You should also use the dependency tree and graph views to visualize and analyze the dependencies between bugs.

3 Mistake #3: Not using milestones

A third feature of Bugzilla that can help you prioritize bugs is the ability to assign them to milestones, indicating the target date or version for their resolution. Milestones help developers and testers plan and track their work, and align their bug fixing efforts with the project schedule and goals. However, some teams ignore or misuse milestones, or assign them arbitrarily or unrealistically, resulting in poor planning and execution, or missed deadlines or expectations. To avoid this mistake, you should create realistic and meaningful milestones for your project, and assign bugs to them based on their severity, dependencies, and impact. You should also monitor and adjust the milestones as the project progresses and new issues arise.

4 Mistake #4: Not using flags

A fourth feature of Bugzilla that can help you prioritize bugs is the ability to use flags, which are custom status indicators that can be attached to bugs, such as needinfo, review, or patch. Flags help developers and testers communicate and collaborate on bug fixing, and request or provide feedback, approval, or assistance. However, some teams overlook or abuse flags, or use them inconsistently or ambiguously, resulting in miscommunication and confusion, or delayed or incorrect bug resolution. To avoid this mistake, you should define clear and specific flags for your team and project, and use them appropriately and promptly to indicate the state and actions required for each bug. You should also follow up and respond to the flags set by others, and clear them when they are no longer needed.

5 Mistake #5: Not using reports and queries

A fifth feature of Bugzilla that can help you prioritize bugs is the ability to generate reports and queries, which are summaries and filters of bug data that can be displayed in various formats, such as tables, charts, or lists. Reports and queries help developers and testers analyze and evaluate the bug data, and identify patterns, trends, or issues. However, some teams neglect or misuse reports and queries, or rely on outdated or irrelevant data, resulting in poor insight and decision making, or wasted time and resources. To avoid this mistake, you should create and use reports and queries that are relevant and useful for your team and project, and update and refine them as the bug data changes. You should also share and review the reports and queries with your team and stakeholders, and use them to inform and improve your bug prioritization and triage process.

Prioritizing bugs in Bugzilla is not a trivial or easy task, but it is a crucial one for the success of your software development project. By avoiding these common mistakes, and using the features and tools available in Bugzilla, you can make better and faster decisions, and deliver high-quality software that meets your customers' needs and expectations.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?