Why you need a bug tracking tool in 2022

A bug tracking tool is software used to report and track bugs or changes that need to be made when developing software. These bug tracking tools are especially helpful when designing, implementing or updating websites. Oftentimes, good bug reporting software can feel like an additional member of your dev team by cutting out the time often wasted in the back-and-forth of the QA process.

If 2021 taught us anything because of the shifting dev labor landscape, it’s that an additional team member is worth more than ever. Because time is more valuable than ever, it’s worth investing in tools that serve as force multipliers for your product, no matter how small or big your team is. And, you can cut out much of the annoyances and confusion created through trying to provide feedback between nontechnical and technical teams.

A bug tracking tool saves time.

You know more than anyone that time is often our most valuable resource. For more than ten years now, experts have been making the claim that time is more valuable than money due to its finite nature. You might be an expert in knowing how to scale a business, but the only way to scale time is to introduce better processes, people and tools. That’s where a bug tracking tool will really shine for your dev team this year.

Oftentimes, the QA process is either cumbersome or, in many cases, non-existent at all. In our 15+ years of providing feedback and working based on feedback provided to us, we’ve gone through so many different mechanisms that you’re also probably familiar with:

• Random images and rough descriptions placed in a PowerPoint, shared by multiple people.
• An Excel or Google Doc with vague descriptions of what exactly needs to be changed.
• An endless barrage of emails and back and forth conversations with different stakeholders, piling on top of the already huge mass of emails in our inboxes.
• Hundreds Slack DMs that force you to use the “Search” feature through your messages way more than you should.

We built BugCatcher to solve the time wasted by each of these scenarios by making it easy for your team to work in the same space with the tools you’re already using. No more PowerPoint decks, Excel docs, Google Sheets or awful email conversations. No more combing through those Slack DMs to piece together all the feedback. It’s all done visually in the same place, and integrates with your existing project management software.

As an example, after implementing the code snippet and logging into BugCatcher, you can integrate your tools within the admin panel, then immediately begin receiving the reported bugs from your team directly into your dev team’s backlog. That’s it.

Imagine the time saved by just making it automated and immediate!

A bug tracking tool reduces confusion.

One of the things we struggled most with as developers, designers and creatives (we’ve worn a lot of hats!) was the confusion abound in the process of giving feedback, whether it’s with clients or internal teams.

For example, when the client writes “We need to change that big image” in an email… which images are they talking about?

Or when the product manager says we’re using the wrong green on the “Contact Us” page… well, where? And what should the right green be?

With a bug tracking tool, you can cut all this confusion by clicking exactly where the issue is, then writing the exact description in context of where the issue is. For developers, BugCatcher even goes one step further and automatically provides OS, browser, browser dimensions, the display resolution and even the user’s favorite 90s rock band (kidding).

And, as mentioned above, when you connect your project management software (like Jira), you can get these tickets directly into your backlog so they can be picked up immediately by the developers, or discussed within the workflow you’re already using.

A bug tracking tool keeps everyone on the same page.

This is where BugCatcher’s integrations with popular project management software really shine.

You can use BugCatcher to report bugs within the admin panel itself, but you can keep all users in the loop by integrating BugCatcher with your current project management tool.

Say you’re using Jira, which is our first integration. You can have your QA team reporting the bugs, which are then picked up and tracked like any issue within Jira. Users can comment, edit, update, change status, etc. – all within Jira. Once the bug is reported, your team can manage any issue exactly like they’re already doing.

That means less confusion than when a product manager, product owner or client is sending you feedback in an email, which then has to be translated into an issue. Everyone’s on the same page when the bug is reported from initial discovery to resolution using the tools you already have.

A bug tracking tool will save you money.

No matter whether you’re on a dev team at a large organization or a solo founder, time is money. And when you save time automating tasks, that’s more time and money you have for:

• Improving the product.
• Building new features.
• Implementing marketing campaigns.
• Learning new skills.
• Diversifying your team’s talents.

Any time wasted is time that you’re also wasting money on. As budgets shrink and efficiencies are being sought throughout all organizations, having a solid bug logging tool is an easy way to optimize your budget so resources can be spent wisely.

Save time, money and stress with BugCatcher.

Want to try out BugCatcher free and see for yourself, in just one week, how much better the QA/feedback process can be for your team in 2022? Join our waitlist and look out for an invitation to join our limited list of users being onboarded this year!