QA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) – Defect Reporting & Management¶
1. Purpose¶
This SOP defines the standard process for identifying, reporting, retesting, and managing QA defects to ensure high-quality releases, faster triage, and effective collaboration with development teams.
2. Scope¶
Applies to all QA team members involved in:
- Functional testing
- UI testing
- Regression testing
- Release validation
- Harness Testing
3. Defect Reporting Standards¶
All defects must be logged with clear, complete, and actionable details.
Mandatory Fields (No Exceptions)¶
Every bug must include:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Clear Title | Concise and descriptive |
| Module / Page Name | Where the issue occurred |
| Steps to Reproduce | Detailed steps to recreate |
| Expected vs Actual Result | What should happen vs what happened |
| Screenshots / Recordings | Mandatory where applicable |
| Environment Details | URL, browser, device, build/version |
| Priority | P1–P4 |
| Relevant Labels | Categorization tags |
| Assigned Developer Lead | Person responsible |
Important
Bugs missing required information may be returned for rework.
4. Priority Definitions¶
P1 – Critical
- Application crash or system down
- Data loss or corruption
- Core functionality completely blocked (login, save, submit)
- No workaround available
P2 – High
- Major functionality broken with a workaround
- Incorrect business logic or validations
- UI issues significantly impacting usability or data entry
P3 – Medium
- Minor functional issues with limited impact
- Non-blocking validation issues
- UI alignment or text issues
P4 – Low
- Cosmetic issues only
- Minor UI inconsistencies
- Enhancement suggestions
5. Mandatory Labels¶
Each bug must include at least one label from each category:
| Label | Use Case |
|---|---|
UI |
Visual/interface issues |
Functional |
Feature behavior issues |
Blocker |
Prevents testing progress |
Invalid |
Not a valid defect |
Regression Issue |
Previously working feature |
Round 1Round 2
6. Assignment & Ownership¶
Key Rule
Every bug must be assigned to the respective Dev Lead at the time of creation.
QA is responsible for:
- [x] Correct priority and labeling
- [x] Clear reproducibility
- [x] Timely escalation of blockers
Unclear Ownership?
If ownership is unclear, escalate immediately to the QA Lead instead of delaying submission.
7. Retesting & Defect Closure (Mandatory)¶
Once a defect is marked as Fixed / Resolved by development, QA must retest the issue in the appropriate environment.
After successful retesting, QA must:
- Add clear comments confirming the fix
- Attach supporting evidence (screenshots / recordings)
- Update the defect status accordingly in GitHub / Jira
Critical
No defect should be closed without QA confirmation and evidence.
8. Escalation Guidelines¶
| Priority | Action Required |
|---|---|
| P1 / P2 issues | Communicate immediately via Slack or call |
| Any blocker | Escalate the same day |
Warning
Do not hold or batch critical issues.
9. Quality Expectations¶
- High-quality defect reporting and verification lead to faster fixes and smoother releases
- Incomplete bugs or missing retest evidence delay closure and impact delivery timelines
10. Compliance¶
Mandatory
Following this SOP is mandatory for all QA activities.