What Is a Bug Bash, and How Are We Using It as a Quality Gate at Webamboos?

Even before the age of AI, many people believed that accountability and responsibility for the quality of a software product rested mainly in the hands of QA engineers.

Today, we know that we cannot hold an AI agent responsible for either the failure or the success of an application. But what about QA? Can a QA engineer or QA team be solely responsible for the ups and downs of an application?

We had many discussions about this at Webamboos, and we reached a clear conclusion:

No, QA engineers are not solely responsible for the quality and success of an application.

The software we build passes through the hard-working hands of entire teams made up of project managers, front-end developers, back-end developers, designers, and quality assurance engineers. Everyone should share responsibility and feel a sense of accountability for the quality of the software.

However, we realised that we were missing a process through which we could gather everyone’s opinions and expertise on quality. After some brainstorming, we introduced a process called a Bug Bash.

What Is a Bug Bash?

Bug Bash is the informal name we gave to the process we currently use to encourage everyone to take responsibility for the quality of their work.

Developers have unit tests, while quality assurance engineers have manual and automated test suites that run both locally and in CI pipelines. However, we wanted to go beyond those existing practices.

Every end user is different, and every user has a different background, level of experience, and way of interacting with an application. Two pairs of eyes will not experience the same application in exactly the same way, so we wanted to apply this principle to our testing process.

During our discussions, we came up with the idea of a Bug Bash: a one-hour session held at the end of each sprint, during which developers, designers, project managers, and QA engineers gather to test the application together.

Each participant explores the application in a unique way, based on their own mindset, responsibilities, and experience.

What Makes a Bug Bash Session Valuable?

The most important benefit is that we gain multiple perspectives on the software within a relatively short period of time.

Instead of one person testing a flow for an hour, we may have seven people going through that flow simultaneously. Each person interacts with it differently, which means the same flow is repeated multiple times using different approaches.

Developers also get the opportunity to test and experience flows they did not work on themselves. Everyone explores the application from a broader perspective rather than focusing only on the areas they usually develop, design, manage, or test.

Another important benefit is that these sessions improve collaboration between QA, development, design, and product teams. This leads to a much better understanding of the application’s business logic across the entire team.

A Bug Bash can also act as a catalyst for better feature designs and implementation approaches. During the session, participants ask questions, challenge assumptions, and discuss the flows being tested. These conversations can lead to valuable improvements that go beyond identifying defects.

As a QA engineer, I often reach the point where I know the application with my eyes closed. I could almost complete certain flows without looking at the monitor.

This is both a good and a bad thing.

It means I understand the application very well, but it can also cause me to overlook certain issues because I have already completed the same flows thousands of times. Seeing a developer, designer, or project manager approach the application with a fresh perspective helps me discover new scenarios, create better test cases, and improve the way I test independently.

How Are We Organising Bug Bashes?

After coming up with the idea, we also needed to determine how to implement it effectively. The process is completely customisable, but at Webamboos, we divide it into three separate phases:

• Before the session
• During the session
• After the session

Before the Session

The QA team discusses the session with the project manager to determine which features, requirements, or areas of the application are the most critical.

For example, a certain feature may be presented to a client during a demo the following week, or an upcoming release may focus heavily on a particular area of the application.

Once we identify a feature or group of features and flows, the QA team prepares the scenarios, test cases, and goals for the session. This ensures that the Bug Bash remains focused and productive.

The session can cover more than basic functionality. Participants may also evaluate:

• Performance
• User experience
• The general feel of the application
• Security
• User roles and permissions
• Edge cases
• High-volume data scenarios

The session can even include role-playing, with participants behaving like different types of users with different permissions, objectives, and levels of experience.

The possibilities are extensive, so creativity is encouraged.

Once the goals and scope are defined, the test data and environments must be prepared. This may include:

• Creating new user accounts
• Preparing specific test data
• Creating PDFs or documents with instructions
• Configuring monitoring tools
• Preparing environments and required integrations

Shortly before the Bug Bash, we share the rules of the session and the required reporting format.

Participants should understand what areas they are expected to explore. However, it can also be useful to avoid giving them too much information. Ideally, they should approach the application in a state similar to that of a new user, without being guided through every step.

During the Session

We usually start with a short, ten-minute introduction covering what we are testing and the roles and responsibilities of each participant.

We also explain how issues should be reported and what information each report should contain.

The next 45 minutes are dedicated entirely to testing.

We use Discord as a live communication channel and Slack for reporting bugs as they are discovered. At the same time, participants ask questions, challenge existing approaches, and usually have some fun.

This is also why we organise our Bug Bashes on Fridays. It gives us the opportunity to end the week on a positive and collaborative note.

At the end of the session, we reserve approximately five minutes for feedback.

Developers, designers, project managers, and QA engineers share how they experienced the application and its flows. In addition to discussing the issues that were found, we also look for opportunities to improve the overall user experience.

After the Session

After the session, QA engineers take responsibility for the bug-triage process.

This includes:

• Centralising all findings
• Removing duplicate reports
• Reproducing the reported issues
• Investigating unexpected behaviour
• Assessing severity and impact
• Creating tickets in the project management tool

Once the issues have been documented, we discuss the most important risks with the team during the next synchronisation meeting.

What Are We Looking for During Bug Bash Sessions?

We usually focus on the bread and butter of the QA world:

• Functionality
• UI and UX

In addition to these areas, we also evaluate the general feel of the application and its ease of use.

Depending on the scope of the session, we may also investigate:

• Edge cases
• Roles and permissions
• Performance
• High-data-volume scenarios
• Security
• Recovery behaviour
• Error handling
• Unexpected user actions

Not every category is covered during every session, but they are all important aspects to consider.

Rules for Making a Bug Bash Effective

To keep the session productive, we follow several rules:

• The scope of the session must be clear to everyone.
• The entire session should last no longer than one hour, since everyone has other tasks and responsibilities.
• The reporting format must be respected so that the post-session triage process does not become unnecessarily time-consuming for QA engineers.
• Everyone should focus on finding issues, not blaming other team members.
• Detailed issue discussions should take place after the session, not during the testing period.
• The Bug Bash should take place at the end of the sprint.
• Everyone should participate actively in the session.

Common Challenges

Like any process, Bug Bashes can come with certain challenges.

Some of the most common ones are:

• Duplicate issue reports
• Reports that are too general or incomplete
• Participants testing only happy paths
• Participants becoming distracted from the agreed scope
• Too much time being spent discussing individual issues instead of continuing to test
• Unclear responsibilities or reporting expectations

These challenges can usually be reduced through clear preparation, a defined scope, and a simple reporting format.

Final Thoughts

As a QA engineer, I believe it is important to create efficient quality gates throughout the software development process.

At Webamboos, the Bug Bash has become an important addition to the QA processes we already have in place. It has improved collaboration, strengthened responsibility and accountability, and helped take the quality of our products to the next level.

A Bug Bash is not simply a meeting where people search for defects.

It is a structured way of combining different perspectives, challenging assumptions, improving collaboration, and strengthening the product before users encounter the same problems themselves.