Incident Report and Defect Report

In software testing, clear communication is essential for identifying, tracking, and resolving issues that occur during the testing process. Two important documents used in this context are the Incident Report and the Defect Report. While they may seem similar at first glance, they serve different purposes and are used in different situations. In this article, we will break down these concepts in a beginner-friendly manner and highlight the key differences between them.

Incident Report

An Incident Report is created when something unexpected happens during the testing process that needs attention. This may or may not be a defect in the software. For example, if the test environment crashes or if a test case is blocked due to missing data, an incident report is logged. It helps track irregularities that impact testing but are not necessarily bugs in the application.

Defect Report

A Defect Report (also known as a bug report) is used to document issues in the software application where it behaves differently from the expected result. It typically includes details such as steps to reproduce the defect, actual and expected results, severity, priority, and screenshots if applicable. Developers use this report to fix the identified problems.

Incident Report vs Defect Report

	Incident Report	Defect Report
Definition	A report for any unexpected event during testing, not necessarily a defect.	A report created when the software does not behave as expected.
Purpose	To track issues like test environment failures or interruptions in testing.	To document software bugs that need to be fixed by the development team.
Focus	On irregularities affecting the testing process.	On problems in the application under test.
Examples	System crash, network issue, or blocked test cases.	Login button not working, incorrect total displayed on invoice.
Action Taken	Investigation to resume testing smoothly.	Code fix or patch by the development team.