Fixing vs Preventing Defects

The way a team handles defects reveals much about how their organisation approaches quality. When every defect must be added to a sprawling backlog with excruciatingly detailed information, it often signals a codebase burdened by technical debt and a product suffering from the consequences of that. Some of these defects may (or may never) be fixed in so-called “stabilisation sprints”. In contrast, consider a team that is focused on preventing defects in the first place. They rigorously apply tec