How to Determine Bug Severity vs. Priority in Testing

Automation Testing with cucumber framework Finding and removing defects from their applications is a constant challenge for testers in the world of mobile app testing. One of the most crucial stages of the software development life cycle is determining the severity and priority of testing. 

Sometimes, the terms "bug severity" and "bug priority" are used interchangeably to describe the process of finding and eliminating bugs. Bug severity and priority, on the other hand, are more complex phrases with distinct meanings. 

We will examine the relationship between problem severity and priority in testing in this blog post, as well as how they complement one another to improve testing efficiency and application performance. 

What Is the Level of a Bug?

The term "bug severity" describes the impact that a bug (or defect) has on an app's overall usability. 

On a scale, bug severity is determined:

• Low severity - The flaw or error won't have a big influence on how well the program works overall.
• Minor severity - The issue or flaw may interrupt the app and cause it to act less than optimally, but it won't prevent it from performing all of its functions.
• Major severity - The flaw or issue will affect a significant number of the app's features and capabilities.
• Critical severity - The flaw or error will be so severe that it will seriously impair the app's general usability and cause a total breakdown of the system.

The severity of the bug will determine how much of an effect it has on the app. Determining bug priority is the next step in the bug severity vs. priority analysis.

What Is a Priority Bug?

The urgency with which a bug must be fixed is referred to as bug priority. 

The severity of a bug is taken into account when determining the priority with which it needs to be fixed. Similar to bug severity, bug priority also has a scale: 

• Low priority: The bug need not be promptly rectified. Bugs with a high or medium importance should be fixed first. 
• Medium priority: Medium-priority bugs may usually be fixed during regular testing and development because they don't immediately impact customers.   
• High priority - High-priority defects need to be fixed right now. They frequently have an impact on the app's usability, customers, and user experience. They have to come first.  

The perception of a bug's severity in relation to other potential bugs makes it difficult to objectively assess its level of severity. The optimum course of action must be decided by considering testing severity and priority as a whole. 

Bug Severity vs. Testing Priority 

Establishing bug severity vs. priority, taken together, refers to the overall impact of issues and the order in which they must be fixed. Priority and severity in testing aid testing teams in creating a schedule-compatible plan of action for finding and resolving defects while also enabling them to address the bugs with the highest impact first.- Automation Testing with Python