How can you differentiate between a bug and a feature request?

Is this a trick question? A bug is something that doesn't work and needs to be fixed. Anything else you want to makes the software better or different than it was in the last version is an enhancement no matter how small or large. A workaround is then something the use does to live with the bug that is not worth fixing at the moment. Just my two cents.

Design Decisions: Sometimes what users perceive as a bug may actually be a conscious design decision by the product team. Undocumented Features: Minor product features might appear as bugs or glitches to new users. User Expectation Ambiguity: Different users interpret features differently, leading to gaps between expectation and functionality. Unintended Benefits: What starts as a bug can become a feature if users find value in the unintended behavior.

A change request is a formal proposal for an alteration to a system or product, often aimed at enhancements or corrections, which undergoes review and approval before implementation. On the other hand, a bug refers to an error or flaw in a system or product that causes it to produce incorrect or unexpected results, necessitating investigation and fixing to ensure proper functionality.

Bugs represent unintended defects or issues in the software that need to be fixed, feature requests are suggestions for adding new functionality or improving existing features to enhance the software's capabilities and meet user needs. Understanding the distinction between the two is crucial for prioritizing and addressing issues effectively during the software development lifecycle.

Picture this. A feature request suggests an enhancement to how Kubernetes handles certain resources during deployment, which could potentially resolve the issue you're just facing. But at the same time, it could also be interpreted as a bug in the current implementation. It's like a chicken-and-egg situation – which came first, the bug or the feature request? Is it hinting at an opportunity to improve Kubernetes rather than fix something inherently broken? Or does it feel more like a gap in functionality rather than a flaw in the existing implementation? many features evolve over time based on user feedback and evolving use cases. What might initially seem like a bug could actually be a symptom of a larger need.

A feature request is a suggestion or proposal for a new capability, enhancement, or improvement to the software's existing functionality, It involves adding new features or modifying existing ones to enhance the user experience or meet specific user needs, they are often made by users, stakeholders, or product managers who want to improve the software's capabilities.

For this cases is that proper functionality documentation exists on system development. If the system behaves different to the specified technical doc (or whatever you use to keep track of what you must do and how) then it is an error if tha behavior is not aligned with the goal. But maybe the issue is beneficial although not documented or asked for, then, it is not an error. On the contrary, If such benefit or other it is asked for the client now then it is a new functionality. Have in mind that even when it is a good thing for your system maybe the client considers it an error just because it was not asked for

A feature request is a proposal from a user or customer suggesting the addition of a new functionality or improvement to a product or service. It's essentially a way for users to voice their needs and how they believe the product could be better.

A feature request should be anything, and I mean anything, that is not agreed upon before the project or iteration begins. For example, the project is placing a button on a webpage that will display the time the button is pressed. The customer then comes up, after the project is started or completed, that they want the button to also change the color of the page based on the time. Feature request.

A feature request is a suggestion for a new functionality or enhancement to be added to the software. It is not a problem with the existing functionality but rather a desire for additional capabilities or improvements.

Além de poderem ser um comportamento diferente do esperado, algumas vezes os bus são também um comportamento diferente do documentado. Em outras palavras, há casos em que o bug foi causado por um erro de entendimento do programador em relação aos requisitos - o programador queria fazer uma coisa mas fez outra. Outros bugs, mais graves, por sua vez costumam ocorrer porque os próprios requisitos estavam errados. Desse modo o sistema se comporta de acordo com aquilo que o programador e o analista queriam que ele fizesse. Porém o entendimento era errado então para o usuário final aquele comportamento está incorreto e demanda correção.

What I have seen in my past experience is that it becomes simple if you have detailed stories, requirements, test cases, and design. If your project team shoots from the hip, you will end up with a series of back and forth interaction that will sour your relationship with your customer and probably your developers. If the developer and customer sees that you cannot make up your mind, you will have substandard work.

To differentiate between the two, you can consider whether the reported issue is related to existing functionality not working correctly (bug) or if it is a request for new functionality or improvements (feature request). It's important to accurately categorize and prioritize these issues to effectively manage the development process.

If an issue is raised, firstly you have to investigate whether the perceived issue is there by design or not. If it is there by design, then there is no bug, but a feature request, and vice versa.

Bug: An unintended deviation from the expected behavior of a product or service. It's essentially a software error that disrupts the intended functionality. Focus: Bugs disrupt the user experience or functionality. They are deviations from what the product was designed to do. As: A button that doesn't work when clicked. An application crashing unexpectedly. Feature Request: A proposal for adding a new functionality or improvement to a product or service. It represents a desired addition, not a malfunction. Focus: Feature requests enhance the user experience or functionality. They aim to add something new to the existing product. As: Adding a "dark mode" option to an app. Implementing a feature to translate languages within the platform.

Bugs are easy to handle. You should not make the process difficult. Open a ticket with your tracking system with the exact steps to recreate. Prioritize it with the current workload. Fix and close. The priority is done as a partnership between the customer and technical team. Factors include how serious it is, how easy to correct, what are the chances of occurrence in production, and so forth. You cannot choose the priority in a vacuum.

You need to evaluate the impact of a bug. If there is high impact to users or an organisation, then a fix should be expedited quickly. Low impact bugs, such as GUI bugs that not affecting the functionality of a product, though irritating for a user, can go through a scheduled work channel.

Feature requests are handled almost exactly like a bug. The feature request is agreed upon. Then it is prioritized by a partnership between the customer and technical team. The money saved or earned is added to the list of prioritization points.

A feature request should be well understood. Interaction between the raiser of a feature request and those responsible for the production of the request resolution should be carried out in such a way, that the request can be fed back to the requester without ambiguity, and in a way that is agreeable to both requester and provider. Only then will you have a clear definition to plan and deliver.

Para facilitar o entendimento se é um bug ou feature, solicito, à quem está reportando, que informe o passo a passo realizado, o que ocorreu ao executar esses passos e o que ela esperava que acontecesse. Em posse dessas informações, conseguimos avaliar se realmente foi um erro ou se, na verdade, se tratava de um fluxo ou regra de negócio que era desconhecido da pessoa que reportou.

Normalmente as empresas têm uma diferenciação em relação ao tempo para correção de bugs menor do que melhorias. Como os bugs de produção afetam a receita da empresa ,é comum ter também pressão e cobranças altos sobre os desenvolvedores para correção desses itens. Essa forma de trabalhar sob pressão comumente gera novos bugs, visto que os desenvolvedores normalmente não tem tempo hábil para pensar e corrigir os bugs com calma. Essa é uma das razões pelas quais é relativamente comum ver novos bugs surgindo após a correção de um bug. Outro complicador é a presença de SLA em alguns times de suporte a produção. Assim o incentivo para o desenvolvedor muitas vezes não é o de resolver a causa raiz mas cumprir o SLA. Dessa forma é bem comum

In general, the bug is defined when you expect a feature, that is implemented but doesn't work as well as expected. You need to define the user story clearly and test it to find bugs. The bug occurred when you implemented a feature as not as well.