Decision-ready bug triage
Bug triage template for priority and ownership
Make each triage outcome explicit: request information, accept and assign, merge as a duplicate, defer with a review date or reject with a reason.
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The decision triage must produce
Bug triage converts a report into a controlled next action. The decision should use reproducibility, user impact and urgency—not the loudest request—and it should leave an owner, target release or review date behind.
- Severity and priority remain separate
- Duplicate and needs-information outcomes preserve context
- Accepted bugs leave with an owner and target release
Triage rules
Use the same questions in the same order
Consistent triage makes backlog decisions explainable and reduces arbitrary priority inflation.
Can we reproduce it?
Confirm the path or return a specific request for information.
Is it already known?
Merge duplicates into one canonical problem and retain report context.
What is the impact?
Set severity from user, data, security and operational consequence.
When must we act?
Set priority from urgency, workaround and release timing.
Who owns next action?
Assign a component owner and a target release or review date.
Do not collapse two decisions
Severity describes consequence; priority describes sequence
They often correlate, but a high-impact defect can be deferred when a safe workaround exists, while a smaller issue can be urgent for an imminent launch.
| Dimension | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Severity | How badly does the defect affect users or the business? | Payment captured without confirmation is critical. |
| Priority | How soon should the team act relative to other work? | A release blocker is P0 even before broad exposure. |
| Workaround | Can users complete the task safely another way? | Manual reconciliation lowers immediate urgency, not impact. |
| Target release | Which candidate should contain the fix? | Web 4.28.0 is held until verification passes. |
Every row needs an exit
Record why the bug moved—or did not move
Backlogs become useful when decisions are durable and revisitable.
Needs information
Return a precise request to the reporter.
Accepted
Assign owner, priority and target release.
Duplicate
Link to the canonical issue and keep the new evidence.
Deferred
Record reason and a date or trigger for reconsideration.
Rejected
Explain the boundary, expected behavior or unsupported case.
Questions and boundaries
Bug triage questions
Practical guidance for assigning consequence, urgency and ownership.
How often should a team triage bugs?
Match cadence to volume and risk. Critical production reports need immediate routing; a product team may review normal reports daily or several times per week.
Who belongs in triage?
Include someone who understands user impact, someone who understands the affected component and someone who can commit ownership or release timing.
Should duplicates be closed?
They can be marked duplicate, but preserve their reporter, context and evidence and link them to the canonical issue. Duplicate volume can reveal impact.
What happens to deferred bugs?
Give them a reason and review trigger. An unowned “later” state is just hidden backlog growth.
Make backlog decisions explainable
Start with populated triage outcomes
Inspect accepted, needs-information, duplicate, deferred and reopened examples before adapting the rules.