Problem Reporting Worksheet

The following section contains a worksheet that may be used for reporting problems encountered during application testing. This worksheet follows the guidelines given in Problem Determination, and requires the application user to complete the following information:

  • The name of the application. This is necessary in order that developers may search for the error in the correct program.

  • The title of the active window when the error occurred. This is necessary in order to identify the window procedure in which the problem most likely resides.

  • The title of the last user action prior to the error occurring. This is required in order to identify the Presentation Manager message that is likely to have caused the error; it is probable that the problem lies in the processing for this message.

  • Whether the action was attempted for the first time, or whether the action had already been successfully completed one or more times during the current execution of the application. This indicates whether the problem is probably a resource allocation error, or whether another cause is more likely.

  • A description of the error, including an error message if one was provided by the application, Presentation Manager or the operating system.

  • The name of the user who discovered the error, along with a telephone number for future contact if any clarification is required.

  • The date and time at which the error occurred. While not necessary from a problem determination viewpoint, this information allows a problem management coordinator to monitor the amount of time necessary to respond to and rectify application problems, and therefore allows management to determine the effectiveness of the testing and debugging process.

    The worksheet also contains a space at the foot of the page, into which readers may insert the name of the person responsible for coordinating problem determination and resolution activities, and to whom completed worksheets should be sent. This person would then typically allocate the isolation, diagnosis and resolution of problems to specific developers.

    For a more complete description of Presentation Manager problem determination procedures, readers should refer to Problem Determination.

    Readers may photocopy the worksheet on the following page, insert the name of the appropriate coordinator, and distribute the worksheet within their organizations for problem-reporting purposes.


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