From discovery to closure.
WHAT THE STATES TYPICALLY ARE
New Triaged Assigned In progress Fixed Verified Closed
WHAT OTHER OUTCOMES EXIST
Rejected, as not a defect Duplicate Deferred Cannot reproduce
WHAT TRIAGE DECIDES
Whether it is a defect Its severity and priority Who addresses it Whether it is fixed now or later
WHO SHOULD ATTEND TRIAGE
Someone from development, testing and the business.
WHY ALL THREE
Each judges a different aspect.
WHAT CANNOT REPRODUCE REQUIRES
Going back to the reporter, not closing silently.
WHY
It is frequently a missing detail rather than a phantom.
WHAT TO RECORD ON REJECTION
Why, so the reporter learns.
WHAT VERIFICATION REQUIRES
The reporter, or a tester, confirming the fix.
WHY NOT THE DEVELOPER
They verify their intent, not the original scenario.
WHAT TO CHECK DURING VERIFICATION
That the original steps now work That related functionality still works
WHAT TO DO WITH DEFERRED ITEMS
Review them periodically.
WHY
A backlog nobody revisits is a list of things that will never be fixed, pretending otherwise.