Issue Tracker

Defect/Issue Resolution Management

The major goal of defect and issue resolution management within the GRAPPLE project is to identify the defect or issue as soon as possible and, when identified, to minimize the impact on the project deliverables and goals.

• Issue: A situation, immediate problem or concern requiring a formal resolution. If the issue is not addressed this could adversely influence the success of the project.
• Defect: Non-conformance to requirements of a GRAPPLE deliverable. Defects are identified as the result of verification & validation activities, of failures during operations, or of unplanned discoveries.  A defect is ‘discovered’ when the defect has been formally reported and acknowledged as being valid.

The defects and issue management process will be supported by a web-based defect and issue tracking system called “Roundup”. This system will be made available via the GRAPPLE team site. All project members will have access to this system to enable them to register and track issues & defects. Within the project, this system will be known as the “GRAPPLE issue & defect tracking system” (GIDTS)

The issue resolution management process

All project members are authorized to record a potential issue in the GIDTS. GRAPPLE PMT is responsible for managing the issue resolution process.

The objective is to prevent the occurrence of issues in the project. So, when they arise, they should be resolved by taking immediate action. If action is not immediately possible, the issue should be managed as follows:

1. Report the potential issue in the GIDTS.
2. Analyze the cause and relevance of the issue and document it in the GIDTS.
3. Determine the risks caused by the issue if not resolved quickly. Determine the impact of these risks on the project. Define the resolution priority and resolution deadline. Document the results in the GIDTS .
4. Assign resolution activities to the issue and schedule the activities. Document the results in the GIDTS.
5. Carry out the activities related to the resolution of the issue and update the GIDTS with the results of these activities.
6. Monitor the resolution process based on the information supplied by GIDTS.
7. Close the issue when all issue resolution activities are satisfactory carried out and the issue is resolved.

The defect resolution management process

All project members are authorized to record a defect in the GIDTS. The WPL responsible for the related system component is also responsible for managing the defect resolution process. GRAPPLE PMT will monitor the effectiveness of the defect resolution management process.

Defects should be managed as follows:

1. Report the defects as the result of verification & validation activities, of failures during operations, or of unplanned discoveries in the GIDTS.
2. Investigate the defect and its cause. Acknowledge the defect and update the GIDTS accordingly.
3. Determine the associated risks and the importance of fixing a particular defect. Document the results in the GIDTS.
4. Schedule the resolution activities in the GIDTS.
5. Fix the defects in order of importance. Create associated test scripts to demonstrate that the defect is resolved.
6. Test the resolution of the defects, and document the results in the GIDTS.
7. Close the defects in the GIDTS when all tests are satisfactorily carried out and demonstrate that the defect is resolved.