Root cause analysis (RCA) for a bug - 10 steps with example. QA process
Root cause analysis template
Steps:
1. Gather Information: Collect
relevant data such as error messages, logs, and system configurations.
2. Isolate the Issue: Identify
the affected components or functionalities.
3. Identify Potential Causes:
Brainstorm possible reasons for the bug.
4. Hypothesis Generation:
Formulate testable hypotheses about the root cause.
5. Investigate Hypotheses:
Conduct tests and analyses to validate or refute hypotheses.
6. Iterative Analysis: Iterate
through the investigation process, refining hypotheses as needed.
7. Document Findings: Record
all observations and conclusions during the investigation.
8. Identify the Root Cause:
Determine the underlying reason(s) for the bug.
9. Recommend Solutions and implement
fixes: Propose and prioritize solutions to address the root cause(s). Deploy
fixes or updates to resolve the bug.
10. Preventive Measures,
review, follow-up: Consider preventive measures to avoid similar issues in the
future. Conduct a post-mortem review and share lessons learned.
Example:
Bug description: The web
application crashing when users attempt to upload images larger than 5MB:
Steps for RCA:
1. Gather Information: Collect
relevant data such as error messages, crash reports, server logs, and system
configurations related to the failed image uploads.
2. Isolate the Issue: Identify
the specific component or functionality of the web application that is
responsible for handling image uploads and where the crash occurs.
3. Identify Potential Causes:
Brainstorm possible reasons for the crash, such as:
- Insufficient server resources to process large image files.
- Backend processing errors when handling image uploads.
- Client-side limitations or restrictions on image file size.
4. Hypothesis Generation:
Formulate testable hypotheses about the root cause, such as:
- Hypothesis 1: The server may have a file size limit configured below
5MB, causing crashes when attempting to upload larger images.
- Hypothesis 2: There could be a coding error in the backend processing
logic that fails to handle large image uploads properly.
5. Investigate Hypotheses: Test
each hypothesis by:
- Checking server configurations to verify upload size limits.
- Reviewing backend code related to image upload processing for
potential errors or limitations.
6. Iterative Analysis: Iterate
through the investigation process, refining hypotheses based on new information
or insights gained from testing.
7. Document Findings: Record all
observations, error messages, and conclusions reached during the investigation
process to facilitate analysis and communication.
8. Identify the Root Cause:
Determine the underlying reason(s) for the web application crashing when users
attempt to upload images larger than 5MB, such as a misconfiguration in server
settings or a coding error in backend processing logic.
9. Recommend Solutions and
Implement Fixes: Propose and prioritize solutions to address the root cause(s),
such as:
- Adjusting server settings to allow larger image uploads.
- Fixing coding errors in backend processing logic. Deploy fixes or
updates to resolve the bug.
10. Preventive Measures, Review,
Follow-Up: Consider implementing preventive measures to avoid similar issues in
the future, such as:
- Regularly reviewing and updating server
configurations and application code.
- Implementing automated tests for image
upload functionality to detect regressions. Conduct a post-mortem review and
share lessons learned with the development team to prevent similar issues in
future releases.
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