Bug Advocacy Part I
Here are some tips on how you can advocate for bugs
Communicate Effectively
It’s important to communicate effectively in order to advocate for your bugs in the best possible way - whether that be written or verbal.
One of the things I learned from my BBST Foundations Experience is that the use of formatting can really help you get a point across. You could:
- Split it up into paragraphs
- Use italics
- Underline subheadings
- Use bold to highlight important sentences
In addition, being able to drive your point home by talking to someone face to face really helps too. I learned some valuable tips to improve my communication skills from Wil McLellan at a previous WeTest Auckland meeting.
Gaining Credibility
Credibility helps get your bugs fixed. As a consultant, I’ve had to learn to gain credibility on each project.
I’ve learned to do this in a number of ways including:
- Be professional - I aim to do this through not only the way I dress and how I talk; but I also make sure I sing someone praises so that they get the recognition they deserve (this is something I am rather passionate about especially since some people are better at ‘selling themselves’ and others can be shy but super talented)
- Yet friendly - I’m generally a happy chappy and from what I can gather, I’m approachable too.
- Consistently raise good bugs - I do my best to provide enough/sufficient information on each bug report. I also talk to the developers or business analysts for tips/advice before I raise the bugs or feedback after I raise them.