Practical Difference between Resolved and Closed

What is the intended (designed) difference between resolved and closed? Why aren't they one and the same? Is it simply for reporting?

Is there are best practice to use? Meaning, resolve issues real time but only close issues at the end of the week (or month). How does Fog Creek implement the difference?

Ryan Wood
Thursday, July 15, 2004

Resolved is for when you fix an issue, and it then gets assigned back to the opener of the bug for verification. 

Example:
I open a bug and assign to you.
You make the fix and resolve (which assigns back to me).
The bug is now "fixed" (or so you say) but I still need to sign off before we close it.
I could reactivate it at this point and assign it back to you.
Once it is closed, we can forget about it.

Michael H. Pryor
Fog Creek Software
Thursday, July 15, 2004

An important observation is that you'll find about 20%-25% of the time the bug that the developer "fixed" was not the bug that the original reporter saw. So it's important that the original reporter of a bug gets a chance to find out it's fixed and double check that it really was fixed.

Joel Spolsky
Fog Creek Software
Friday, July 16, 2004

  Recent Topics

  Fog Creek Home