Incident in Software Testing

During the software test process, the testing teams find many bugs and incidents. An incident occurs when the actual test result differs from the expected results. The Quality Assurance (QA) team reports these to the development team. For this reporting purpose, the testing team also generates many different reports, and an incident report is one such report. This blog covers incidents in software testing and how to write an incident report.

Incident in Software Testing

Before moving on to the details of incidents, let’s fully understand what an incident in software testing is. While testing software, certain results are expected from each test case. However, the actual results need not always be as expected, as bugs and other issues may arise. An incident occurs in software testing when the actual result differs from the expected result. 

For example, when a software tester finds a social media app accepting invalid login credentials, that is an unexpected behavior and therefore, an incident. Incidents are treated as serious issues in testing because they point out real disruptions or failures that can impact the performance of the software and user experience. 

What can be the causes of these incidents? Incidents can be caused by a variety of factors such as inefficient tests, coding errors, inaccurate test data, hardware failure, improper test environments, and even a lack of communication between development and testing teams. 

Types of Incidents in Software Testing

Incidents are usually categorized into the following:

• Functional Issues: Occurs when the software’s main functionalities fail to perform certain requirements. 
• Performance Issues: This happens when the performance of the application, such as speed, responsiveness, and scalability, does not meet the expected requirements.
• Compatibility Issues: This takes place when the software fails to integrate with various components like hardware, operating systems, browsers, or various software versions.

• Usability Issues: Occurs when the end-users face difficulty in effectively using the software.
• Security Issues: Takes place when there are vulnerabilities in the software, compromising its reliability and security. 

Incident vs Bug

Here’s a table highlighting the differences between an incident and a bug in software testing:

Aspect	Incident	Bug
Definition	An unplanned event or disruption that affects the normal functioning of a system or application.	An error, flaw, or unintended behavior in a software application or system.
Severity	Typically severe, causing immediate disruptions or degraded performance, requiring urgent attention.	Severity varies from some bugs that are minor glitches to others that can be critical. However, bugs generally don’t demand immediate action unless they significantly impact functionality.
Impact	Directly affects user experience or service availability, potentially preventing access to features or the product entirely.	Can range from minor inconveniences to significant issues like data loss or security vulnerabilities, but often doesn’t immediately disrupt overall service availability.
Management	Involves rapid detection, response, and resolution to restore normal service quickly, often following a formal incident management process.	Involves routine processes like code reviews, testing, and quality assurance to identify and fix errors before they affect end users, typically handled during regular development cycles.
Urgency	High urgency.  Incidents require immediate action to minimize user impact and restore service.	Lower urgency.  Bugs are usually addressed during scheduled development and testing phases unless they pose significant risks.

Learn how to find bugs in an application!

Incident Report Writing 

Are you familiar with what a test incident report is? A test incident report is a document prepared at the end of the software testing process, in which various incidents or defects detected during the test are reported and logged by the testers. The purpose of preparing this report is to inform the development team or the product team about all the incidents that need to be assessed and rectified.  

Popular Incident Report Metrics

Similar to the software testing metrics, software incident reports also have certain metrics to follow. These are the specific measurements or indicators used to track and analyze incidents. These metrics provide insights into the frequency, impact, and resolution of incidents.

Some of the relevant metrics are:

• Incident Frequency: Measures the number of incidents occurring in a specific timeframe. A high incident frequency indicates that there are potential issues with the software quality.
• Incident Severity: Indicates the impact of each incident. This helps prioritize incident resolution efforts.
• Mean Time to Detect (MTTD): The average time taken to detect an incident from the moment it has occurred. A shorter MTTD means the incident detection is fast enough.
• Mean Time to Respond (MTTR): The average time taken to respond to a detected incident. A shorter MTTR means the incident response process is efficient.
• Recovery Time Objective (RTO): The time frame within which operations should be restored to normal. This metric ensures that incidents are resolved within acceptable timeframes. 

How to Write an Incident Report

By following a structured approach, you can ensure that the incident report is well-documented, and actionable, enhances software quality, and helps accelerate resolution.

Here are the steps to write an incident test report:

Step 1: Identify the Incident  

• Observe the system behavior and confirm if it qualifies as an actual incident.  
• Collect initial details such as error messages, logs, and screenshots.  

Step 2: Record General Information  

Include:  

• Incident Number (Unique identifier)  
• Test Case Number (If applicable)  
• Application Name  
• Build/Version Number  
• Date & Time of Incident  

Step 3: Describe the Incident  

• Steps to Reproduce – List the actions that led to the issue.  
• Expected Outcome – What was supposed to happen?  
• Actual Outcome – What occurred instead?  
• Variance – Differences between the expected and actual results.  
• Environment Details – Information about the test setup, OS, database, network conditions, etc.  

Step 4: Assess Severity & Impact  

• Severity Level (High / Medium / Low) – Based on the criticality of the issue.  
• Affected Users – The number and type of users impacted.  
• Risk Assessment – Any potential threats, such as data loss or security vulnerabilities.  

Step 5: Provide Attachments 

Include screenshots, log files, system outputs, or error messages to assist in diagnosing the issue.  

Step 6: Assign Priority & Status  

• Priority Level (Critical / High / Medium / Low) – How urgent is the fix?  
• Current Status (Open / In Progress / Resolved) – The stage of resolution.  

Step 7: Suggest Possible Workarounds  

If there’s a temporary solution, document it to minimize disruption.  

Step 8: Submit & Communicate the Report  

Share the report with the development and QA teams for further action.  

Example of an Incident Report for a Payment System

Section	Details
Incident No.	INC-20250307
Test Case No.	TC-105
Application	Online Payment System
Build/Version	v2.3.1
Date & Time	07/03/2025, 14:30
Reported By	Annie, QA Engineer
Environment	Windows 11, Chrome v120, Test Server
Description	Payment failed when using a credit card. The system displayed a “Transaction Failed” message despite valid card details. Issue reproduced 3 times.
Expected Result	Payment should be processed, and a success confirmation should be displayed.
Actual Result	Payment fails with an error message: “Transaction Failed. Try again later.”
Variance	The payment was unsuccessful despite correct inputs. No error logs were generated.
Attachments	Yes (Error screenshot, browser console logs)
Severity	High
Priority	Critical
Workaround	Customers can use PayPal as an alternative payment method.
Risk	Potential revenue loss and user dissatisfaction.
Status	Open

Do you know how to write a test summary report?

Tips for Writing an Incident Report

These tips can help you write an effective incident report:

• The information in the report should be accurate and precise.
• Gather all relevant information before writing the report.
• Follow a well-designed template to maintain professionalism.
• Proofread and edit your report before submitting it.
• Include the strategies and procedures used to resolve the incident.
• The language should be professional and simple.

Why Report Incidents: Benefits of Writing an Incident Report

Creating an incident test report has certain benefits. Following are the reasons why it is important to report incidents:

• Identify Defects: Software defects will be documented in an incident report, including the steps to reproduce them. This helps developers to track and fix issues.
• Improve Product Quality: Reporting incidents and systematically addressing them ensures that the software meets quality standards and user expectations.
• Prevent Future Issues: Incident reporting helps developers find the root cause of issues, and implement preventive measures to avoid their recurrence in the future.
• Prioritizing Issues: With incident reporting, teams can prioritize issues based on their impact.
• Documentation & Analysis: A historical record of issues can be tracked using incident reports, which can be used to analyze the effectiveness of bug fixes, test efficiency, and effectiveness. 

Incident Report Analysis

Incident reports are analyzed to get insights into defects, their causes, and the effectiveness of the testing process. An incident report analysis identifies the root causes, prevents the recurrence of the issues, helps improve the software quality, and optimizes the overall software quality.

Various tools and techniques are used for incident analysis, including:

• Bug Tracking Systems ( Eg. Bugzilla)
• Statistical Analysis
• Root Cause Analysis Methods ( 5 Whys, Ishikawa diagrams, or Fishbone diagrams)
• Incident Management Systems: An Incident Management System (IMS) is a tool or process used to track, prioritize, and resolve incidents identified during software testing. It provides a structured approach to incident reporting and resolution. Examples include Jira Service Management (JSM), PagerDuty, OpsGenie, Freshservice, and Zendesk. 

Challenges of Incident Reporting

Some of the common challenges faced during incident reporting in software testing are:

• Incomplete or Inaccurate Information: Sometimes there will not be sufficient context, steps, or supportive evidence that are required for testing, and the biases or personal opinions of testers can also lead to misrepresentation of issues.
• Lack of Standardized Reporting Guidelines: When incident reports are created without proper guidelines, they can vary significantly in format, content, and level of detail. This can lead to difficulty in tracking and resolving issues. 
• Poor Communication and Collaboration: The communication gap between testers, developers, and stakeholders can delay the incident reporting process. Insufficient collaboration can lead to incidents being overlooked or misinterpreted. 

Best Practices for Effective Incident Reporting

• Timely Reporting: Testers should be familiar with who to report and how to do so, and issues should be reported immediately.
• Accuracy and Completeness: A consistent template should be followed for reporting, and the document should be comprehensive with all the necessary information and supportive evidence
• Clear Communication and Documentation: The language used in reports should be simple and all the reports should be accessible to relevant people.
• Analysis and Prevention: The reports should be studied to find the root causes and potential issues should be proactively addressed.

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With Testsigma, both technical and non-technical teams can collaborate more effectively to address and resolve issues, ultimately enhancing the quality and reliability of the software being tested.

Conclusion

In software testing, incidents occur when the actual results don’t match the expected ones. These can be caused by bugs in the code, missing or weak test cases, hardware problems, or team miscommunication. Reporting these incidents is important. It helps teams identify what went wrong, keep a record of the issue, and fix it quickly. Over time, this leads to better tracking, faster resolution, and higher software quality.

With the right process and tools, teams can handle incidents more efficiently and build more reliable software.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between a test incident report and a test summary report?

Aspect	Test Incident Report	Test Summary Report
Purpose	Documents and tracks specific defects found during testing.	Provides an overview of testing activities, results, and recommendations.
Focus	A detailed record of a specific issue, including steps, expected vs. actual results, severity, and priority.	High-level summary of the entire testing process, covering scope, metrics, and overall quality.
Audience	Developers and QA teams for bug fixing and tracking.	Stakeholders, project managers, and decision-makers for assessing product readiness.
When Created	As soon as a defect is identified.	After the completion of a test cycle or project.
Example	A report detailing a crash when clicking a button, with steps to reproduce.	A summary of regression test results, defects found, and release readiness recommendation.