Preface

As I blogged in the past, a bug is an issue, but an issue is not necessarily a bug.. Customer support needs to respond to all incidents, but not all of them will be software defects. So what testers find reasonable to expect from Support when opening an issue?

I suggest using a derivative from #RIMGEA and #PEOPLE-Work heuristics – a checklist of items appropriate for the context.

PRE-Work Checklist

Problem

• Clearly state a problem reported by user
  • Something’s not available or not working?
  • What they were trying to achieve?
  • Something’s different from the customer’s expectations?
• Describe impact and urgency
  • Organization or process is impacted or blocked?
  • Single user impacted or blocked?
  • SLA violated?

Replication

• Were you able to replicate the problem?
• Provide step-by-step actions required to reproduce
• Provide screenshots where applicable

Environment

• Provide environment information
• Provide relevant settings and conditions
• Provide relevant data
• DO NOT provide any sensitive or personal information unless requested through secure channel

Workaround

• While the problem being resolved, do you need a workaround or data fix for the customer?