Defect Prevention

The objective of defect prevention is to identify the defects and take corrective action to ensure they are not repeated over subsequent iterative cycles. Defect prevention can be implemented by preparing an action plan to minimize or eliminate defects, generating defect metrics, defining corrective action and producing an analysis of the root causes of the defects.

Defect prevention can be accomplished by actioning the following steps:

1) Calculate defect data with periodic reviews using test logs from the execution phase: this data should be used to segregate and classify defects by root causes. This produces defect metrics highlighting the most prolific problem areas;
2) Identify improvement strategies;
3) Escalate issues to senior management or customer where necessary;
4) Draw up an action plan to address outstanding defects and improve development process.This should be reviewed regularly for effectiveness and modified should it prove to be ineffective.
5) Undertake periodic peer reviews to verify that the action plans are being adhered to;
6) Produce regular reports on defects by age. If the defect age for a particular defect is high and the severity is sufficient to cause concern, focussed action needs to be taken to resolve it.
7) Classify defects into categories such as critical defects, functional defects, and cosmetic defects.