When establishing a defect tracking system, one important goal is to define how defects will be classified. Classification rules make defect data consistent, searchable, reportable, and useful for analysis. Defects may be categorized by severity, priority, origin phase, detection phase, root cause, component, status, type, and customer impact. Without clear classification, defect reports become inconsistent and metrics lose value. Collecting as much data as possible can overload users and reduce reporting quality. Approving a validation plan is a test management activity, not the main purpose of a defect tracking system. Determining how to prevent defects is important later during causal analysis, but the tracking system must first define reliable defect categories and workflow rules.

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