One embodiment of the invention provides a method of grouping defects. The method includes the steps of obtaining a plurality of defect reports, preprocessing the defect reports, and applying a clustering algorithm, thereby grouping the defect reports. Another embodiment of the invention provides a computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer to perform a method comprising: obtaining a plurality of defect reports; preprocessing the defect reports; and applying a clustering algorithm, thereby grouping the defect reports. Another aspect of the invention provides a system for grouping defect reports. The system includes: a preprocessing module, a representation module in communication with the preprocessing module, and a clustering module in communication with representation module.