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Planning & Processnoun · /ˈɪʃuː/

issue

In simple English

In software development, an issue is a discrete unit of work that represents a problem, feature request, or improvement needed in a codebase. Issues form the backbone of project tracking systems and are essential to how tech teams organize work. Each issue usually has a title, description, priority level, assigned owner, and status (open, in progress, closed). Issues can be bugs that need fixing, features to implement, or documentation to write. Teams discuss issues in standup meetings, reference them in pull requests and commits, and use them to measure progress. The term is so fundamental that most engineers spend significant time creating, reviewing, and updating issues daily.

Understanding what an issue is in software development and how it is used in project management

At a glanceCEFR B2
Commonness5/5
Versatility5/5
FormalityCasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDirect
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓We have a critical issue with the payment system
✓Can you take this issue and start working on it?
✓This issue has been resolved and can be closed
✓The issue tracker shows we are behind schedule
✓Let me file an issue for that

Real examples

in a standup

"I completed three issues yesterday and I am blocked on issue #234 because we need design approval."

in a code review

"This pull request closes issue #156, which was about improving the database query performance."

in a team meeting

"We need to prioritize the critical issues first before moving to the nice-to-have feature requests."

in a Slack message

"I created a new issue for the login timeout bug. Please add your feedback to the discussion."

in a retrospective

"We closed 32 issues this sprint, which is 8 more than last sprint."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Do not confuse with issue as a verb meaning to distribute or give out. In tech, issue typically refers to a problem or ticket, not the act of releasing something.

✕We need to issue the bug before launch.
✓We need to fix the issue before launch.— In this context, issue is the problem itself, not something you do to it. To issue something means to distribute or release it.
✕There are many issues about this in the documentation.
✓There are many problems with this that we documented.— Issues are tracked items in a system. If you are referring to general problems mentioned in docs, use problem or concern instead.
✕This issue is not important enough to work on.
✓This issue does not have high enough priority to work on now.— Every issue has value; the concern is about priority level, not importance of the issue itself.
✕I resolved the issue yesterday but did not close it.
✓I fixed the issue yesterday and closed it.— Resolved and fixed are similar, but close is the standard verb for marking an issue as complete in tracking systems.

Other forms

noun

issue

"The issue was discovered during testing."

noun

issues (plural)

"We have fifty open issues in our backlog."

verb

to issue (distribute/release)

"We will issue the new version tomorrow. (Note: This is different from the tech planning sense)"

Often used with

open issueAn issue that has not yet been resolved or closed
critical issueA high-priority issue that blocks work or affects users severely
close an issueTo mark an issue as complete or resolved in a tracking system
assign an issueTo give an issue to a specific team member to work on
file an issueTo create or submit a new issue in a tracking system
track issuesTo monitor and manage issues in a system like Jira or GitHub
known issueA problem that has been identified and documented
blocking issueAn issue that prevents other work from being completed

Similar words

bugMore specific; refers only to errors or defects in code. Issue is broader and includes features and tasks.
ticketUsed interchangeably with issue in many companies, but ticket is more informal and broader.
taskSimilar, but task is more general. Issue is typically tracked in a formal system with more metadata.
problemGeneral English term. Issue is the industry standard in tech project management.

Opposites

resolutionfix

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. Your team found a memory leak in the API. What do you say in standup?

Complete the sentence

2. I will _______ this bug as an issue in our tracking system so the team can see it.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses issue incorrectly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite this in natural tech English: The team found a problem with the login page that we wrote down and need to fix it soon.

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "issue" in a standup this week?

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