[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.1″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Effective defect management is becoming a key element of success a growing number of large IT projects. In this context, a well-designed dashboard for defect reporting plays an important role in monitoring the quality of the tested application. The dashboard helps to identify the risks associated with poor code quality and speed of problem resolution. In this article, we will present the approach to dashboard design and show where to pay special attention, so that the tools we build are effective and optimal, and provide valuable information. Such process optimization contributes to increased overall project efficiency. <\/span><\/p>\n In order to design a dashboard that is effective and provides valuable information, special attention should be paid to selecting appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs). It is crucial to focus on the data that is most relevant to your audience and important for your project goals, while avoiding overload of information that can be distracting. Data visualization should be intuitive \u2013 charts, tables, and graphical representation of the status and progress are invaluable here. Business analysis of this data, based on the KPIs and reports, enables more accurate decision-making and optimization of the project activities. Below we present some Power BI (Business Intelligence) report suggestions for defects, along with examples of their use and their value for faster project status analysis. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dashboards presenting statistics of all open and closed defects, with the possibility of additional filtering by version, priority, status, request type (Bug\/CR), component, or date range.<\/span><\/p>\n Pie and bar charts show the distribution of defects by their priority and application\/component. Bar chart presents KPIs \u2013 number of boomerangs broken down by application\/component and priority. A boomerang means a situation where, after the fix, the defect returns unsolved for re-fixing. This is an important indicator showing the effectiveness of the fixes performed in a given area. <\/span><\/p>\n This basic report clearly illustrates the quantity and status of defects of a given priority per application\/component. Presentation of this data based on the number of defects of a given status enables quick identification of the areas with higher risk of exceeding the assumed deadlines. Reporting these results supports effective detection of all risks and taking corrective actions to improve the quality of project execution. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Statistics limited to open defects only. Dashboards additionally extended by a bar chart presenting the number of defects broken down by priority, assigned to individual teams: Testers, Analysts, Admins, Developers, External Suppliers, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/soflab.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-5.png” title_text=”dashboard_open_defects” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Dashboards \u2013 open defects<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n By using the numbers and priorities of defects assigned to a given team or component, the dashboard enables identification of potential bottlenecks in the process of delivery of effective solutions. Performance monitoring in this case allows for dynamic assessment of team performance and detection of potential problems at an early stage. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Tabulation of defect details with the possibility of filtering by defined criteria and exporting to xls (Excel) formats.<\/span><\/p>\n A crucial report, extremely useful for the analysis and assessment of the defect fixes performed.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n A dashboard with a timeline graph showing the rate of opening and closing new defects, as well as the trend in the level of currently open defects. A bar chart presenting statistics of opened and closed defects, broken down into individual months and KPIs, as a % ratio of closed to opened defects in a given month. An additional KPI, illustrated separately in the form of bars and numerical values, is the average daily number of defects opened and closed in the selected chart. Similarly to any spreadsheet, here we can also design and use any filters to e.g. narrow down the statistics to the period we are interested in, or analyze e.g. only the defects with high or critical priority. Separate charts for defects closed and opened on the timeline in individual months, focusing, in addition to quantitative data, on % KPI, which presents the % change in relation to the previous month. Depending on the specifics of the projects and the needs of a given organization, the periods on the chart may also refer to the length of sprints or developments in individual weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/soflab.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/2-2.png” title_text=”dashboard_opened_vs_closed” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Dashboard \u2013 opened vs. closed <\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n This tool enables tracking of the quality conversions of the tested solution. An important point on the trend chart is the breakout moment when it changes permanently from rising to falling. The closer to the end of the project schedule, the higher the number of closed defects should be in relation to the opened ones, so that finally there are no open cases left. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Prioritized bar graphs showing the average life cycles of defects. They are complemented by a table listing the top longest-living defects sorted in descending order against the main KPI. Alternatively, a KPI can be used that measures the median value instead of the average cycle. This will provide a more representative view of the actual resolution time, resilient to extreme values, thus, minimizing the impact of anomalies on the overall score. <\/span><\/p>\n By using specific filters, we can easily provide information about the defect fix times in individual areas\/teams\/components, and this way also offer the ability to identify risks and plan the necessary actions in order to avoid delays in delivering the required-quality solution.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n A dashboard with the statistics in the form of pie and bar charts, presenting how individual development teams keep their defect repair deadlines. These statistics can refer to the scheduled repair dates for specific defects or to the defect repair time KPIs for individual priorities, agreed on at the project or organization level. <\/span><\/p>\n The information obtained this way enables identification of the most problematic areas and subsequent analysis of the causes of the problem in order to prevent them in the future. Code quality, complexity of requirements, interdependencies between requirements are examples of causes of the problem. During the project, the dashboard is an effective tool supporting execution of scheduled and declared defect repair times, as well as identification and mitigation of risks in individual teams. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Similarly to the test progress reports, we recommend including the most important statistics, which will comprehensively illustrate the status of defects and can be used as an element of the management level reports.<\/span><\/p>\n These can be the above-mentioned dashboards \u2013 the charts presenting statistics of open defects, curves showing the rate of defect resolution, trends, KPIs regarding the life cycles of defects and repair times. <\/p>\n <\/span>Analysis of the data from these dashboards enables more effective decision-making, resource allocation and risk identification. This allows you to flexibly adapt to the changing needs of the project, which contributes to improved ROI. <\/span><\/p>\n Development of the reporting tools should be based on the principles of versatility, flexibility and reusability in future initiatives. Use of such solutions helps to increase the efficiency of defect management and improve the quality of executed projects. <\/span><\/p>\n We hope that the information presented here will serve as inspiration to design still more refined and effective dashboards in your organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dashboards for monitoring defects in IT projects play a key role in assessing software quality and the effectiveness of its improvement. The article describes different types of reports, such as statistics on open and closed defects, defect lifetime and defect closure rate. It emphasises the importance of appropriately selected KPIs and intuitive data visualisation to support analysis, risk identification and project decision making. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":244821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[528,529,530],"class_list":["post-244839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quality-management-en","tag-dashboards","tag-defects","tag-error-report"],"yoast_head":"\nReport sheets showing defect status:<\/h2>\n
1. Dashboards covering all defects<\/span><\/h3>\n
2. Open defects in dashboards<\/h3>\n
3. All defects \u2013 details<\/h3>\n
4. Dashboard monitoring the rate of opening and closing defects<\/h3>\n
5. Defect life cycle on dashboards
6. Dashboard of the defect fix times
7. Summary