Here’s a good practice for ticket workflow – add priority and severity levels
Bug Priority vs. Severity Levels
Though bug priority and severity are closely related, they are not the same thing. Each plays a unique role in guiding the team on how to address defects.
Who Sets the Priority of a Bug?
The bug priority is typically determined by stakeholders, project managers, product owners, or even the client. The priority indicates how urgently the bug needs to be addressed based on business needs, release schedules, or user impact. It helps prioritize the workflow so the team knows which bugs to fix first.
Who’s Responsible for Adding Severity Levels?
On the other hand, the severity level of a bug is generally assigned by the QA team. Severity is determined based on the criticality and complexity of the defect itself. For instance, a bug might crash the app, but if it’s an issue that doesn’t affect most users, it may have lower priority even though the severity is high.
Now, let’s break down the details of severity and bug priority levels in more depth.
Severity Levels – Defining the Impact of a Bug
Severity: The degree of impact a defect has on the development or operation of a component or system.
(ISTQB Definition, see more on https://www.istqb.org)
The defect severity can have different classifications based on the project, organization, tracking tool, etc.
There’s a scale of how threatening a bug is for the system. It ranges from level 1 (most damaging) to level 5 (least damaging)
1. Urgent
This is the highest priority. These bugs must be fixed immediately because they block critical functionality or impact key user flows. For example, a payment gateway failure on an e-commerce website would have urgent priority because it directly affects revenue.
2. Essential
These bugs are important and need to be fixed before the software is released. While they are not as critical as urgent bugs, they still must be resolved to ensure a smooth user experience. A bug that prevents a user from signing up but doesn’t block other features might be essential to fix before release.
3. Valuable
These bugs might not block a user from using the system entirely, but they can significantly impact the user experience. For example, a feature that doesn’t behave as expected or causes mild frustration might fall under this category. These bugs are important but can be fixed in a future sprint if necessary.
4. Desirable
These bugs are nice to fix but are not essential for the current release. If they can be resolved within the feature’s current scope and the team’s budget, it’s desirable to fix them. Otherwise, they can be scheduled for the next release cycle.
5. Discretionary
These bugs can be fixed when there’s time or when future releases are planned. They don’t affect core functionality and don’t need immediate attention. Examples might include minor UI issues that don’t impact the user flow or aesthetic glitches that don’t compromise usability.
How to Set the Right Priority and Severity
One of the most common sources of conflict in software development is when bug priority and severity levels don’t align. It’s important to remember that the two are not always connected. A critical defect may not necessarily need immediate attention, and a minor defect could require quick resolution depending on its impact on users.
Example 1: A Critical Bug with Low Priority
Imagine an application crash that only happens when users take very specific actions, such as entering more than 50 phone numbers on an account registration page. From a severity standpoint, this bug would be high, but because it’s so rare and unlikely to affect most users, it would have a low priority.
Example 2: A Low-Impact Bug with High Priority
On the other hand, a minor cosmetic issue, like an image not being centered on a webpage, could have a high priority if it significantly impacts the user experience or the client’s satisfaction. Even though it doesn’t affect the system’s functionality, it’s important to fix it promptly due to the client’s needs.
Final Thoughts - Understanding the Bug Priority and Severity Levels
When working in QA, it’s crucial to understand how to assign the correct bug priority and severity levels. This helps ensure that bugs are fixed in the right order, balancing the needs of the client with the resources available for development.
Bug priority should be influenced by business needs and user impact, while severity focuses more on how disruptive a bug is to the system itself. By understanding both, you can ensure that your team is focused on the right issues at the right time.
In summary, always make sure to add the correct criticality level and communicate clearly with your development team to avoid conflicts. Understanding bug priority and severity helps ensure smoother workflows and a higher-quality product.
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