How to Set Up Bug Tracking for New Projects (A Step-by-Step Guide)

You're starting a new project. Code is flowing, features are taking shape, and then: the first bug. Then the second. Then a dozen. Without a system, you'll lose track—and your users will suffer.

This step-by-step guide shows you exactly how to set up bug tracking that grows with your project, from the first commit to production scale.

Phase 1: Just Starting (Week 1)

Keep It Simple

You don't need Jira on day one. Start with the basics:

Option A: GitHub Issues

If you're using GitHub for code, use Issues for bugs:

markdown
# Bug: Login button unresponsive

## Environment
- Browser: Chrome 120
- OS: macOS 14

## Steps to Reproduce
1. Go to login page
2. Enter credentials
3. Click "Login"
4. Nothing happens

## Expected
Redirect to dashboard

## Actual
Button does nothing

Option B: Linear

If you want something nicer than GitHub Issues:

• Free for small teams
• Fast and beautiful
• Good defaults

See our bug tracker comparison for more options.

Create Your Bug Template

Whatever tool you choose, standardize how bugs are reported:

text
Title: [Brief description of the bug]

**Environment**
- Browser/Platform:
- Version:
- User account (if relevant):

**Steps to Reproduce**
1.
2.
3.

**Expected Behavior**
[What should happen]

**Actual Behavior**
[What actually happens]

**Screenshots/Logs**
[Attach if helpful]

Define Basic Statuses

Start with three:

• Open: Needs attention
• In Progress: Being worked on
• Done: Fixed

That's it. You can add more later.

Phase 2: Growing (Month 1-3)

Add Priority Levels

As bugs accumulate, you need to know what to fix first:

Priority	Definition	Response
Critical	App unusable, data loss	Fix immediately
High	Major feature broken	Fix this sprint
Medium	Annoying but workable	Fix when possible
Low	Minor issues	Nice to have

Introduce Categories

Group bugs by area:

• Frontend: UI issues
• Backend: API, data issues
• Infrastructure: Deploy, performance
• Documentation: Docs bugs

Set Up Labels

Labels help filter and search:

• bug vs feature vs question
• frontend vs backend
• critical vs high vs medium vs low
• needs-info for unclear reports

Create a Triage Process

Don't let bugs sit unlabeled:

1. New bug comes in
2. Within 24 hours: assign priority and category
3. Critical: immediate assignment
4. Others: add to backlog for sprint planning

Phase 3: Users Involved (Month 3+)

Set Up External Bug Reporting

Users need a way to report bugs:

Option A: Email

• support@yourapp.com
• Manually create issues from emails
• Works but doesn't scale

Option B: Feedback Widget

• Embedded in your app
• Captures context automatically
• Scales much better

Option C: BugBrain

• Widget + AI triage
• Auto-classifies incoming reports
• Routes appropriately

Create User-Facing Status

Users want to know what happened to their report:

• Received: We got it
• Investigating: Looking into it
• In Progress: Being fixed
• Resolved: Fixed (with version)
• Won't Fix: Not a bug or by design

Establish SLAs

Set expectations:

• Critical bugs: Acknowledged within 1 hour
• High priority: Triaged within 24 hours
• All bugs: Status update within 1 week

Phase 4: Team Scaling

Define Ownership

When you have multiple engineers:

• Assign areas to people (frontend person, backend person)
• Route bugs to owners automatically
• Clear escalation path for unowned bugs

Integrate with Development Workflow

Connect bugs to code:

• Link bugs to PRs
• Auto-close bugs when PR merges
• Reference bug IDs in commits

bash
git commit -m "Fix login button - closes #123"

Add Release Tracking

Know which bugs are fixed in which version:

• Tag bugs with target version
• Generate release notes from closed bugs
• Track regression (bugs returning)

The Complete Setup Checklist

Week 1

• Choose a tool (GitHub Issues, Linear, etc.)
• Create bug report template
• Define basic statuses (Open, In Progress, Done)
• File your first bug properly

Month 1

• Add priority levels
• Create categories/labels
• Establish triage cadence
• Document bug workflow for team

Month 3

• Set up user feedback channel
• Create user-facing status communication
• Define SLAs
• Consider AI triage (BugBrain)

Month 6+

• Integrate with CI/CD
• Set up release tracking
• Implement bug metrics
• Review and refine process

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Over-Engineering from Day One

You don't need Jira's 50 fields on day one. Start simple, add complexity when pain emerges.

No Bug Template

"it's broken" isn't a bug report. Enforce structure from the start.

Ignoring Triage

Bugs without priority are bugs that don't get fixed. Triage religiously.

No User Feedback Path

If users can't report bugs easily, they'll just leave. Give them a channel.

Separate Systems for Bugs and Features

One backlog, not two. Bugs and features compete for the same resources.

FAQ

What bug tracker for a new project?

Start with GitHub Issues if you're using GitHub—it's free and integrated. Move to Linear when you need better UX and workflow features. Only consider Jira for large teams with complex requirements.

How to organize bugs effectively?

Use consistent labels (priority, category, status), enforce a bug template for all reports, triage within 24 hours, and link bugs to code changes. Simple organization that's followed beats complex organization that's ignored.

When should I add AI bug triage?

Consider AI triage when you're handling 20+ bugs per week and spending significant time on manual classification. Tools like BugBrain can automate 80% of triage work once you have enough volume to benefit.

Should bugs and features be in the same tracker?

Yes, usually. Bugs and features compete for the same engineering resources, so they should be prioritized together. Use labels or issue types to distinguish, but keep them in one backlog for prioritization.

---

Setting up a new project? Start with BugBrain and skip the painful setup phase with intelligent bug tracking from day one.