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on larger projects i use a simple bug tracking system that's designed to be used by clients

i have a lot of trouble convincing clients to use it (they send bug reports via email)

does anyone have any strategies they can suggested?

also, i have been playing around with a theory as to why this is the case; it goes like this:

asking a client to log a bug is like taking your car to a mechanic for a service, and the mechanic hands you the engine oil and says "here, pop that in". basically, the client has paid you to do the work, logging a bug sounds too much like work, so they want you to do it

thoughts?

John Saunders
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louism
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10 Answers10

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A clear, concise bug report, not attached to a refund request, is about the best thing that can happen to your development effort, no matter what format it arrives in. Free QA, dude! Why would you want to hinder that process by making the customer jump through hoops to learn your bug tracking interface? Even if they're also in the software industry, maybe they come from a Bugzilla shop instead of a Fogbugz shop...

Jim Lewis
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  • fair point jim. there is a saying "a helping hand is a helping hand, even if its dirty". i should be happy to get a bug report at all, whether its via email. but thing is, as a freelance contractor, budget is very tight, i do so much free work for the client already (is that why its called a 'free'-lancer?). im trying to offload some of my work back to the client. i dont know, im a bit in two minds of that suggestion, sorry - just being honest. i do think it is a good point, i just cant bring myself to whole-heartedly agree with it – louism Jun 07 '10 at 05:41
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First, make sure your tracking system is very user friendly.

It has to be easy to access. Does your client have to go to a web page to file a bug? Is the application buried deep in the sitemap? Nobody is going to open a browser, find your site and go through numerous links just to file a bug. This can be solved by putting a link in your application (again, it has to be easy to find; like Help > Report a bug). If your client has more then one application, make sure he is directed to correct page (or pre-fill the needed fields).

Next, do not require of your client to classify the bug (like severity and whether it is in fact a bug or a feature request). Also keep number of fields low. Description and a screenshot is plenty.

Make your controls easy to use. Nothing is more frustrating like having to wrestle a datetime picker with three drop-downs when you are trying to get some work done (and of course if you select day 31 and then April, day gets reset to blank value).

If you expect a screenshot, give your client a nice silverlight control, where he can just drop the file instead of searching it all over his disk.

When your bug filler is customized so your own mother can use it, you'll still have to push a bit. Try to "forget" about the email sometime and when the call comes act surprised and ensure your client that you received no bug report from him. Of course when he insists that he did send it to your email, have an "ah" moment and inform him your email is acting "strange" lately, then ask him to resend the email. Next bug report will be filled right.

Luc
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  • +1, I second all that you said. Also, never forget, the average user doesn't have a clue what a bug tracking system is... explaining things to user and "embellish" them with a easy looking interface is the way to go. – nico Jun 05 '10 at 06:54
  • thanks luc. all very good solid suggestions - exactly what im looking for. im going to mull over that and decide how i will turn what youve given me into real life action and behavior changes on my part. what you have said about "not receiving the bug report" gels with me - its simply against what ive been taught to be overtly rude to a customer (e.g. "if you dont log it, im ignoring it"). i would struggle with the silverlight thing though, my tech know-how is my weak area (i specialize in UI design and project management) – louism Jun 07 '10 at 06:08
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Fogbugz... I asked my clients to open a case about their bug and i then worked on it... Its really worth a try..

ACP
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    amen. it will actually even let you open a new bug from an email and manage the correspondence. give it a shot. +1 – nathan gonzalez Jun 05 '10 at 04:50
  • that would be interesting, if you can create a bug from an emails information. i have thought it would be interesting if a client could email a bug, the tracking software interpret it, and create the log – louism Jun 07 '10 at 05:30
  • @louism: FogBugz does that. You can exchange emails with your clients without them even realizing that all emails go through FogBugz. (FogBugz will put Bug ID into Subject and associate incoming emails with existing bugs if there is Bug ID already). – Peter Štibraný Jun 07 '10 at 12:25
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I second the recommendation of FogBugz. Most bug tracking software is a nuisance (I'm looking at you Bugzilla). It's just too perceived as too difficult to learn / navigate by my clients.

FB lets you have a public submission page for submitting new bugs. This is a very simple page that your clients could learn easily.

FB also lets you receive e-mails directly into the bug tracking system. As the admin, you categorize / assign incoming e-mail. Then, your client could optionally be notified when the bug is fixed.

One last plug for FB: There is a bug submission tool which lets you send a screen shot from a machine along with a bug description. This has been handy for my clients as well.

The final advise is this: Stop fixing any bugs that are not in the bug tracker. Of course you will get push-back, but not as much as you might think. If you are responsive to bugs / feature requests that are entered in to the tracking system, your clients will begin to see value. But, like little kids, they will not change if they can still get what they want by just fussing a little.

Scott P
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  • this is why i went to great pains to design my bug tracking software to be very user-friendly and simple for clients to use, take a look at this interface: http://www.bugweb.com.au/images_content/bugweb_screenshot_01.png – louism Jun 07 '10 at 06:01
  • i agree, i have spoiled the client by allowing too many email-based bug reports. its an uphill battle now. i have to be more disciplined in future and just take that damage to the client-relationship (push-back) – louism Jun 07 '10 at 06:04
  • I like your bug reporting interface. Nice and clean. For what it's worth, it probably won't be as painful as you think to get your clients on board. If you send a consistent message and promptly reply to issues entered in the bug tracking system, your clients should begin to see the value. – Scott P Jun 07 '10 at 15:38
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IMHO I think it depends on what type of client it is, if you work as a freelancer for small companies then I think a excel spreadsheet filled by yourself is enough to use as a bug tracking system.

ryudice
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  • yes - good point. i should of mentioned the context here is for freelance contracting. when ive worked at bigger companies & larger projects, it doesnt seem to be as much of a headache to convince stake-holders/clients to use the company's bug tracking mechanism – louism Jun 07 '10 at 05:36
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You probably need to point out the advantages of the bug tracking system for the customer like easier for them to see the status of the bug, prompts for mandatory information like version number etc.

Above all the argument that if they use the system their bugs will be processed faster usually does the trick.

AndersK
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  • hey anders, im going to push that argument more - that if they log it in the bug tracking system, it will be seen to quicker. i will just let a bug sit in my email for a couple of days, vs if its in the log, i will get on it within a day – louism Jun 07 '10 at 05:37
  • sounds like a plan, people hate waiting so by letting them wait they will get the message. :-) please let us know how it went. – AndersK Jun 07 '10 at 15:55
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If they're sending their bug reports to you by email instead of using the bug tracking system, give them the email address of the bug tracking system! Of course you would have to implement the feature but it would be novel to parse the email for inclusion.

If the email is in the wrong format the bug tracker will email them back with a template that contains the correct layout for them to fill in along with the original text they sent to cut and paste accordingly.

If they still send the email to you, forward it to the bug tracking system and when you get the reply with a template, forward that info back to the client and tell them the system won't accept it. This is still a bit of a manual process but you will be training the client at the same time on the medium they prefer and they're still doing the majority of the work.

Automated Return email might look like:

From: Bug Tracker
Date: 25/3/2010
Subject: Please reformat your bug report: [original subject line]

Name: {Your Name here}
Priority: {Number here from 1 to 3}
Report below this line (when done, email to bugtacker@example.com. Thanks!

{ your original text }

John K
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  • i actually use my own in-house developed bug tracking software. im planning on upgrading it this year. this is a feature which will be high on the list (if i can figure out how to do it) – louism Jun 07 '10 at 05:42
  • Actually, I just realized email adds it's own level of verification based on the From address. No password is required. – John K Jun 07 '10 at 14:13
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Set up your email server to bounce emails with the word 'bug' in it. Have the bounce report contain a link to your logging site.

(Or in reality, get a bug tracking software that allows bugs to be 'emailed' in).

Paddy
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  • i like that :). at least than i can say "hey, it wasnt me, i didnt ignore your bug report, the server caught it" – louism Jun 07 '10 at 06:09
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You assert that your bug-tracking system is designed to be used by clients, yet clients won't use it. Could be something wrong with the clients, could be something wrong with the bug-tracking system.

I've always liked rt because it does have about the simplest, email-based user interface for clients.

However, I'm not suggesting that you change your bug-tracking system. What I would suggest is that you discuss the situation with some of your more friendly clients and see if you can figure out why they don't use it -- sure you've got a theory (some thoughts in your head) but do you have any data (some of the thoughts in their heads) ?

Then change to rt :-)

That last bit was a joke, what I should have written was -- then when you know what the problem really is, you can think about fixing it. Changing from system X to system Y without discussing the situation with your clients would be folly.

Even more foolish would be to start getting all snotty with your clients and bouncing back their bugs because they haven't filled out the right forms (as some have suggested). Unless that is, you are working in a secret orchard where paying clients are waiting to be plucked ripe from the tree.

High Performance Mark
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  • yeah, it is interesting that a common suggestion of people is to bounce it back. im not having a go at them, i do agree with them. i just couldnt do it in a rude way. but you are the first person to say that bouncing back to the client shouldnt be considered with so much weight. thanks – louism Jun 07 '10 at 06:12
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Go for a House M.D. style approach:tell them straight on that you're not reading any emails concerning bug reports, they go straight to Spam folder. You've got, however, this nifty interface for logging bugs, and by using that they're making sure that you'll get to see them.

luvieere
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    But if you go House then you'll misdiagnose the error 13 times, it will quickly get worse, your machine will blue screen twice, and you'll only solve it after a business analyst makes some inane comment about what you said to a junior developer. One thing for certain, though, is that it won't be Lupus. – Anthony Pegram Jun 05 '10 at 07:11
  • seriously, thats what i would like to do. tell them straight to their face "if your email it, i will delete it" - but House is a fictional tv series, unfortunately you cant treat clients like that (you can, but you they will go elsewhere). between choosing someone who has superior technical skills vs. someone 'nice to work with' - clients will take 'nice to work with' – louism Jun 07 '10 at 05:57
  • i have said something like this to an internal stake-hold (my business synergy partner). i told him, if it doesnt go into the bug log, i wont respond to it. he still kept sending me bug reports on behalf of our clients, i ignored them, he eventually saw i was serious – louism Jun 07 '10 at 05:58