Bug Severity and Priority
Classifying bugs is an important aspect of the quality assurance process. By categorizing and classifying bugs, our development team can effectively prioritize and address them. Here are some common ways to classify bugs:
Severity (size of the damage): Bugs can be classified based on their impact on the software:
Critical: Bugs that cause the software to crash, data loss, or severe functional issues that prevent the system from working.
High: Bugs that significantly impact functionality or cause major inconveniences to users.
Medium: Bugs that have a moderate impact on functionality but do not severely hinder the system.
Low: Minor bugs or cosmetic issues that do not significantly affect functionality.
Severity should be determined by the QA engineers
Priority (time to fix it): Bugs can be classified based on their importance and urgency in terms of fixing. It refers to the order in which developers have to fix bugs:
High: Bugs that need immediate attention and should be fixed before other lower priority bugs.
Medium: Bugs that require attention but can be addressed after high-priority bugs are fixed.
Low: Bugs that have a lower impact on functionality and can be addressed later.
Severity should be determined by the Product Manager
Here some examples:
| Severity | Priority | Explanation |
---|---|---|---|
Users are unable to add items to their cart | Critical | High | This bug is critical as it severely hinders the primary functionality of the app - placing orders. It should be given high priority because it affects all users and prevents them from using the app effectively. |
The app occasionally displays incorrect order totals during the checkout process | High | Medium | It directly impacts the financial aspect of the app. Users might be charged incorrectly or receive inaccurate order totals, leading to potential financial losses or disputes. However, it is assigned medium priority because it occurs sporadically and doesn't affect a large number of users. The development team may prioritize other high-severity issues that have a more widespread impact on functionality. |
The app's logo is slightly misaligned on the home screen | Low | Low | It does not significantly affect the app's functionality. It is given low priority because it is a minor cosmetic issue that does not impact the core features of the app and can be addressed later when higher priority issues are resolved. |
The "Order Now" button's color doesn't match the app's color scheme | Low | Medium | This bug is of low severity because it doesn't affect the app's core functionality. However, it is assigned medium priority because the app's visual consistency is relevant for the branding and user experience. |