Reducing Noise Levels With Discord + Bugasura (or Any Modern-day Bug Tracker)
Discord is an excellent platform for bringing in users and engaging them with what they like and don’t like. We know of Indie developers building new-age modern software who have moved away from Git Issues and have started using Discord. However, they all face one serious problem – it can get very noisy.
Noise is bad for developer productivity
The requirements for the use of tracking tools are rather stringent. The ‘noise’ around defect tracking mainly arises from the overhead of adhering to strict conditions. There is no argument over the utility of defect tracking, per se.
- Often, developers in an organization use an assortment of tracking tools. Each is optimized to track specific types of defects. Many times, the different tools are challenging to integrate. Using multiple tools results in the same defect being recorded in more than one place – with varying descriptions. For example, the description in one place could be from a user’s perspective. In another place, like in the internal bug-tracking system, it could be from a technical perspective. Expectedly, multiple defect descriptions and duplication of information lead to confusion.
- Many of these tools have complicated designs. It requires users to fill several mandatory fields, for which the user might not always be equipped. This exacerbates the difficulty of identifying, reporting, tracking and fixing defects.
- Tracking every low-priority defect is not an optimal strategy. It only serves to increase the size of the bug report. Many of the bugs will never even be fixed. Organizations do not see enough RoI in fixing them, as these defects might not be critical from the customer’s perspective.
At the same time, the status of these defects cannot be ‘open’ in the defect report. It obligates the developers to fix the defect. An unresolved ‘open’ defect implies poor quality and distracts the developers from focusing on their core responsibilities, adversely affecting productivity.
- The documentation requirements of the various tools are intended to enhance productivity. Paradoxically, all the ‘noise’ emanating from this hinders effective communication and collaboration between team members, thus, harming productivity.
- Developers pass on the code to the testers, and the testers then provide the identified defects to the developers. Communication within the team happens through the tool, but there is no collaboration. This causes misunderstanding and wasteful back and forth between the testers and the developers, adversely impacting productivity.
Discord + Bugasura (or any modern-day bug tracker)
Quite clearly, the process overheads imposed by the tools used to report or open bugs take up more developer time than that spent on fixing them.
The noise level can be lowered by having the developers and testers triage the defects. Assigning priority levels to the bugs identified in the AUT helps determine their relative impact on the product. It enables the fixing of high-priority bugs first.
The noise due to the testing and tracking tools can be further reduced by using AI-enabled technologies. AI-enabled tools generate automated questions for uncovering errors at every stage of the development process. Automated questions alert the teams to the previous defects and prevent a recurrence. It helps optimize the quantum of testing that the teams will need to run – enhancing overall productivity.
Most bug trackers are not suitable to integrate with Discord. Why?
Most bug tracking tools are complex in design and loaded with many useful and some redundant features.
- Depending on tool complexity, a definite learning curve is required in acquiring the competence to use it effectively. Developers and testers are often distracted by the complexity of the tools. Instead of focusing on the core functions of the project, they are compelled to input data in the tool. They are also required to learn the use of critical features of the tracking tool relevant to the tasks assigned to them.
- An ideal bug tracking tool assists and complements project work to accelerate the software development lifecycle. It should promote the focus on effective reporting via easy-to-read dashboards, problem analysis, accelerated resolution, and greater team collaboration.
Bug trackers expect the other tools to adapt to their requirements in the real world.
- During product development, fixing bugs necessitates integrating different tools that possess functions not available in the tracker tool. Typically, the bug trackers are inherently challenging to integrate.
Discord, a simple-to-use, and invaluable productivity-enhancing tool deserve new-age thinking and a bug tracker that complements its features by adapting to its requirements.
Discord’s intuitive UI and ease of use are the primary reasons developers move away from Git issues and enthusiastically adopt Discord. Existing bug trackers are not optimized to enhance the productivity of software development teams.
What we are looking to do with Bugasura for Discord
Bugasura aims to upend the current state of things and be a tool that integrates easily with Discord and helps improve process efficiency and team productivity. Modern teams rely on collaboration. AI-enabled technologies that generate automated questions and simple workflows will get things moving.
Bugasura for Discord will facilitate collaboration and simplify filtering, pulling, and pushing comments. Each team member will get a personalized view of the issues they must resolve – fulfilling a primary developer requirement.
Visionary Thoughts
Bugasura is looking to incorporate features facilitating integration with modern tools. Developers are constantly striving to improve productivity. But the bug trackers have been a roadblock. We are developing a bug tracker that will promote productivity.
We found that a large section of the developer community is using Discord. We are building a tool that will integrate seamlessly with Discord and empower every team member, especially developers, to work efficiently and productively.
