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Sometimes when submitting bug reports for computer programs, I'll see developers say they need to "triage" an issue.

I'm triaging this issue now. It started appearing sometime after version 3.4

Searching triage shows that it is used in the medical field for determining issue priority. However, I'm interested to know how the term specifically applies to computer programming and whether it still has the same meaning.

What does it mean to "triage an issue" in computer programming?

Stevoisiak
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    Possible duplicate of [When to have bug triage meetings in SCRUM process?](https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/293339/when-to-have-bug-triage-meetings-in-scrum-process) – gnat Mar 21 '18 at 16:12
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    A dev who tells you this can mean with that term whatever he/she means with it - so the best way to find out is to ask him/her. But in general, "determining issue priority" is a possible interpretation, and "determining how or when a bug was introduced" is typically part of that process, so I don't see what your question is. – Doc Brown Mar 21 '18 at 16:12
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    This was already answered by the English Language & Usage question you linked to. “Triaging an _issue_” is specific to software development, and therefore has no special meaning. – amon Mar 21 '18 at 16:22
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    It still has the same meaning. "Triage" is just an ordinary English word; software developers use it the same way as medical staff do. – Robert Harvey Mar 21 '18 at 16:24
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    What is your question? Do you want to know what "triage" means in computer programming or do you want to know what the person meant with that sentence? You already answered the first question yourself, it is just the normal English meaning which is also used in medicine. And the second question can only be answered by the person who made that statement. – Jörg W Mittag Mar 21 '18 at 21:24
  • I would like to vote to delete my own question if possible. I believe I have asked this question in a poor and confusing way. – Stevoisiak Mar 26 '18 at 13:53
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    @Stevoisiak Your question looks good to me. I strongly disagree with other comments just because in my case, I get asked to "triage an issue" by my manager. If we take the literal definition of "assessing priorities" to heart, then this makes no sense. Why would my manager ask me to triage an issue when that's more his/her job? Given that and the various times I've been told to "triage an issue," it just means "assessing the issue" to give a better description and clearer example to pave the way for being able to fix it. I don't think I'm wrong on this; otherwise, someone would scold me :) – dtc Apr 02 '20 at 20:51
  • TLDR: I think your question is fair and certainly hasn't been answered in the SCRUM question or in the "English Language & Usage" one. – dtc Apr 02 '20 at 20:53

1 Answers1

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Triage has a very specific meaning, but only within the field of medicine. When it comes to issue tracking, the term was borrowed from medicine and used in a similar way: a simple initial assessment of the priority of the bug: do now, do sometime and never do; close.

However, as with all such terms, they slip into the realms of "management speak" all too quickly: folk think it sounds good and repeat it without really understanding what they are saying. So it becomes debased and these days could mean absolutely anything.

So in your specific case, ask the developer what they mean by "I'm triaging it now" for only they can know.

David Arno
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    While the word triage entered English from the French via the medicine, it's a perfectly well defined word. From the Oxford English Dictionary: "The process of determining the most important people or things from amongst a large number that require attention." The fact that some people may use it incorrectly doesn't rob it of its meaning. – Charles E. Grant Mar 21 '18 at 16:24
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    @CharlesE.Grant, I agree that it *shouldn’t* rob it of its meaning. But it all too often can. Take a completely different word: terrific. Clearly the stem of the word should give a clue to its meaning: to cause terror. But who uses that archaic meaning these days? When enough folk use a word in a new way, that becomes the new meaning of the word. – David Arno Mar 21 '18 at 16:48
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    “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that's all.” – candied_orange Mar 21 '18 at 17:01
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    @DavidArno You have this back to front I'm afraid. Medicine borrowed it as an extant term: https://www.etymonline.com/word/triage – Robbie Dee Mar 22 '18 at 13:22