Severity refers to the degree of impact that a defect or bug has on the software functionality or performance. It is a measure of how serious the defect is and how much it affects the software’s ability to meet its intended purpose.
In software testing, defects or bugs are typically classified based on their severity. This helps the development team to prioritize and fix the most critical issues first, minimizing their impact on the software’s functionality and reputation.
The severity levels of defects can vary depending on the organization and the software being tested. However, the following are some common severity levels:
- Critical: Defects that cause the software to crash, lose data, or become unusable.
- High: Defects that cause the software to behave in unexpected ways or produce incorrect results, and have a significant impact on the user experience.
- Medium: Defects that have a moderate impact on the software’s functionality or performance, but do not affect its core features.
- Low: Defects that have a minor impact on the software’s functionality or performance, and do not affect its core features.
The severity of a defect is usually determined by the tester who discovers it, and it is communicated to the development team through a defect tracking tool. The development team then prioritizes the defects based on their severity and fixes the most critical ones first.