Bug, feature or improvement? Learn the difference (How to classify product requests and avoid team misalignment)

Someone submits a ticket.
It says: “The login screen needs to be redesigned.”

Is that a bug? A new feature? A UI improvement?

Misclassifying tasks is one of the most common (and costly) sources of confusion in product teams. When QA, devs, and PMs aren’t on the same page about what is being reported, it leads to delays, miscommunication, and frustrated users.

In this article, we’ll break down the difference between bug vs feature, explain how to tell if something is a bug or enhancement, and review common product request types so your team stays aligned.

Why definitions matter

If everything is labeled a “bug,” the team can’t prioritize effectively.
If a feature request gets treated like a bug, it might jump the queue—unfairly.
If an improvement is ignored because it’s not “critical,” your product might slowly lose quality.

Having clear labels helps with:

• Prioritization
• Developer assignment
• Sprint planning
• Cross-team communication

Bug vs Feature: The core difference

✅ A Bug means something is broken.

It’s functionality that should work but doesn’t.

Examples:

• Login button doesn't respond
• App crashes when uploading a file
• Error message not showing when expected

✅ A Feature means something new.

It’s functionality that wasn’t there before and needs to be added.

Examples:

• Add dark mode
• Integrate Google login
• Enable push notifications

 Bug or enhancement? How to tell

This is the gray area.
Enhancements are improvements to existing functionality.
The feature exists—but it could be better.

Examples:

• Login works, but users want Face ID
• Search results display, but lack filters
• Profile page loads, but looks outdated

Ask yourself:

“Is this broken—or just not ideal?”

If it’s the latter, you’re looking at an enhancement.

Common product request types (and how to tag them)

Here’s a simple breakdown of types every product team should align on:

‍What happens when labels go wrong?

• A developer spends two hours fixing something that was a “nice-to-have”
• QA re-tests an “issue” that was actually a new request
• PM plans the wrong scope for a sprint
• A customer gets no update for months because the ticket was misfiled

Classification is more than admin work. It’s clarity.

How re:bug helps you classify and communicate clearly

One of the most helpful parts of re:bug is that it makes task types explicit—so nothing gets lost in translation.

When submitting an issue through re:bug, you can:

• Select whether it's a bug, a feature request, or an improvement
• Include screenshots, steps, and notes to support the classification
• Tag and assign the right person or team
• Push the task into your dev system (like Jira) with the right context

No more Slack messages asking, “Wait… what kind of ticket is this?”
With re:bug, everyone knows what’s being reported—and what to do with it.

Final thoughts

Understanding the difference between bug vs feature (and those tricky “bug or enhancement” moments) is essential for building better products, faster. When you apply consistent labels to product request types, you help your team prioritize clearly, communicate better, and deliver the right things at the right time. And with re:bug as part of your workflow, every request comes with structure, clarity, and purpose.