As the software projects grow in size, and the complexity levels rise given the number of variables involved, tracking issues manually with excel spreadsheets becomes tedious. The limitations of a traditional excel sheet become apparent when it comes to reporting and resolving issues in a timely manner, especially when compared to sophisticated issue tracking tools.

Basics of an Issue Tracking System

Primarily based on a ticketing system, issue tracking systems are software applications which facilitate the process of recording every issue in the development cycle and following its progress until it gets resolved by the team. Often used interchangeably with bugs, issues can be of any kind ranging from a bug report to a development issue to a customer inquiry. While all bugs in the codebase or software might be reported as issues, it does not work the other way round; all issues are not necessarily bugs in the software.

Importance of Issue tracking system in development cycle

To simplify the time-consuming and monotonous process of software testing and management, the testers employ the issue tracking tool to not only ease off the bug finding procedure but to also ensure high quality delivery of the product in the long run. Apart from transparency and unmatched flexibility in the production and development process, the issue tracking system also reduces the reporting gap in the entire process. Some of the principal elements of this system which facilitates in enhancing the project delivery include;

–          Error detection at the initial stage

–          High quality product delivery

–          Timely delivery

–          Reduced cost of development

–          Allows team collaboration and effective communication

–          Better understanding of bug reports

–          Robust reporting system

Issue Tracking System Integration with Project Management

In addition to the bug tracking element, the issue tracking system also allows defect tracking in the software, and task management for the team. Owing to the diverse range of features that it boasts, this system is an imperative part of the project management cycle in order to improve the project outcomes.

From the logging issues to allocating tasks and prioritizing them, flexibility is the hallmark for a proficient tracking system; a good software application would allow the user to view the relevant issues in any format that they desire. The added element of filters and search allows them to sift through large volumes of issue data and find the relevant ones in a matter of seconds. Moreover, the user friendly interface provides a customizable dashboard for users whereby they can view issues assigned to them by a weekly check or a daily one. With the dashboard aspect, the development team would be able to view their progress on the issues and manage tasks accordingly; while also using the customizable feature to add elements in the dashboards specifically suited to their needs.

Hence, for a development team which requires visual collaboration with their team members and the ease of allocating tasks, the issue tracking system offers a scalable solution for effective project delivery.