Overview

Defect age is an important software testing metric. The defect age metric is a measure of the time span or the difference in phases between when a defect is detected and when it is resolved. It is used to assess the responsiveness and effectiveness of the development and testing team, as well as the quality of the software product.

Defect Age

The tracks the time it takes to discover, fix, and verify defects. It provides insight into how long a defect has existed in the system from the time it was discovered or reported until it is resolved or closed.

Defect age formula

There are many ways to calculate defect age:

• In Time
• In SDLC Phases

Time

Formula to calculate defect age in time:

It is the time difference between the defect closed date and time and the defect reported date and time.

Defect Age in Time = (Defect Closed Date and Time)  –  (Defect Reported Date and Time)

SDLC Phase

Defect Age in Phase is the difference between the phases of the defect injection phase and the defect detection phase. This refers to the phase in which the defect was identified and introduced.

Formula to calculate defect age in Phase:

Defect Age in Phase = (Defect Detection Phase) – (Defect Injection Phase)

One of the metrics that can help software developers and testers improve the quality of their products is the defect age. This metric measures the time elapsed between the introduction and the detection of a software defect. The lower the defect age, the faster the defect is found and fixed, which can reduce the cost and effort of software maintenance.