Bug Review Process

This article describes developer activities and how they are tracked through Redmine.

The Redmine state is represented as STATE, which can take on the following values: {NEW, TRIAGED, ACCEPTED, IN PROGRESS, IN REVIEW, REVIEWED, CLOSED, FEEDBACK, RESOLVED, REJECTED}.

A typical state sequencing would be NEW -> TRIAGED -> ACCEPTED -> IN PROGRESS -> IN REVIEW -> REVIEWED -> CLOSED as described below:

1. Bug is reported (by core dev or external user)

   • STATE <= NEW

2. Bug is triaged (during weekly meeting, if not earlier)
   • assigned lead developer

   • STATE <= TRIAGED

   • (NOT assigned a target release ... that happens only when STATE <= ACCEPTED)

3. Bug gets preliminary review by some group member
   • if it is judged eligible for fixing:
     • reviewer sets target release (as next release, not a future release)
     • reviewer verifies or changes lead developer
     • reviewer assigns provisional risk profile and testing requirements

     • STATE <= ACCEPTED

4. When STATE == ACCEPTED, assigned developer fully assess work and manages estimates for:
   • timing and difficulty
   • target release
   • risk profile and testing requirements

   • STATE <= IN PROGRESS

5. Assigned developer implements fix
   • code is checked in to development branch
6. Assigned developer reassigns issue to a reviewer

   • STATE <= IN REVIEW

   • set "assignee" field to reviewer (Note: the "reviewer" field doesn't notify the reviewer via e-mail, so we don't use it)
7. Reviewer checks code and reassigns to original developer
   • check code out from development branch
   • for features, use Quality Circles document to verify code meets requirements and fulfills quality aspects ... document findings in Quality Circles table

   • if good: STATE <= REVIEWED ... if the change is for the current release, developer cherry picks it into the current hotfix branch

   • if more work needed: STATE <= ACCEPTED and return to developer ... developer and reviewer can agree to withdraw checkin from development branch

   • set "assignee" field to original developer

8. Assigned developer sets STATE <= CLOSED

9. As part of release planning:
   • coordinate testing

*** Note that a target version should be assigned iff STATE == ACCEPTED or beyond. Otherwise STATE should be TRIAGED. ***

Cherry picking

git checkout FIX-BRANCH
git cherry-pick -x DEV-COMMIT-HASH-CODE

Other Redmine States

FEEDBACK = waiting for user reply ... could follow TRIAGED or ACCEPTED, and could precede ACCEPTED, CLOSED, or REJECTED

RESOLVED = unknown function

REJECTED = closed and not fixed