Defect repair refers primarily to the point in the project life cycle at which the project leader, project management team, or the individual who has been assigned the responsibility of the specific component in question, has gone on to identify a specific defect within a project component (referred to as a fault, imperfection, or deficiency within the specific project component), and is now at this point acting to correct the situation through either the repair or replacement of the component. The process of defect repair is two-fold. First, the project team must assess the situation, and make a careful determination as to whether or not the specific defect within the component can even be repaired. If it is unable to be repaired, then the component must be replaced entirely, usually (but not always) the more expensive option. When a determination is made as to whether the component should be repaired or replaced, a recommendation typically must be presented in writing to either the project team en masse or the financially responsible party.
This term is defined in the 3rd and the 4th edition of the PMBOK.