A short guide to fixing bugs in software
Most developers will spend some of their time fixing bugs, and having a rock-solid process to follow will make you much more efficient at getting these issues sorted
I love fixing bugs.
There’s something very satisfying about being given something that doesn’t work, taking the time to figure out what’s going wrong, then delivering a fix so that it works again.
I’m aware that not everyone finds this quite so exciting (and that’s ok!), but what I’ve noticed is that some developers have an aversion to bug fixing because they don’t feel as confident in their development process, compared to when they’re developing greenfield or working on new features.
So here’s my brief guide on how to approach bug fixing, to hopefully improve your confidence in this area, and help you get those bugs sorted.
1. Understand the problem
It might seem obvious, but the first step in fixing a bug is understanding what’s going wrong.
Too many times have I seen a developer take a very brief look at a problem and assume they know what it is, leading them to go down a rabbit hole and not end up fixing anything (or worse…
