Zero-bug policy success
A practice for reducing software development waste
Zero-bug policies are usually controversial, misunderstood, or both. Meanwhile, you probably live with a backlog of open bugs that you don’t expect to resolve any time soon. But you could. Zero-bug policies matter, because swarms of unfixed bugs waste time, hurt team morale, cause soul-destroying meetings, make development slow and unpredictable, and destroy customer trust.
This experience report from a Norwegian start-up in 2024 describes the journey from firefighting daily bug reports, to fixing the last open bug, and the joy of development with zero open bugs. Attendees will learn about the practical side of implementing a zero-bug policy, from introducing the idea, to achieving its goals. Our story includes the team dynamics of agreeing to give it a try, the objections and risks, and other implementation challenges. You’ll learn about why it’s worth the effort to fix (almost) all of the bugs, and which ones you can ignore.
