How to Make Smarter Decisions in QA, UAT, and Development
In the fast-paced world of IT projects, we encounter bugs, defects, or issues on a regular basis. Two key terms often surface when teams evaluate these problems: Priority and Severity. While these terms are frequently mentioned together, they serve very different purposes. Understanding how they work—individually and in tandem—is essential for developers, testers, business analysts, product owners, and project managers alike.
This guide will walk you through what Priority and Severity mean, how they’re used in various stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and why getting them right can make or break a project’s success.
What Is Priority?
Let’s start with Priority. Think of it as the answer to:
“How soon do we need to fix this?”
Priority reflects the urgency of the issue and directly impacts how your team plans their workload. It’s a scheduling tool, helping teams decide which issues to tackle first, especially when time or resources are limited.
Who Assigns Priority?
Typically, Priority is assigned by:
Product Owners (POs)
Project Managers (PMs)
Sometimes Business Analysts (BAs), depending on the organization
Their goal is to evaluate the business impact of a defect and determine how quickly it needs to be resolved to keep the project on track.
How Is Priority Determined?
Several factors influence Priority:
Impact on deadlines: Will this delay a release or customer delivery?
User visibility: Is this issue on a page every user sees?
Client or stakeholder importance: Is this affecting a key demo or VIP user?
Resource availability: Do we have the right people ready to fix it?
Dependencies: Is this bug blocking another feature from being tested or delivered?
Typical Priority Levels
Most teams use a three-tier system:
High Priority: Needs immediate attention. Ignoring it could cause project delays, revenue loss, or a poor user experience.
Medium Priority: Important, but not urgent. Should be fixed in the near term.
Low Priority: Minor inconvenience. Can be deferred without much consequence.
Example: If a login button fails to respond and the feature is part of an upcoming client demo, the issue would be classified as High Priority, even if the root cause is minor. Why? Because its business impact is huge.
What Is Severity?
Now, let’s talk about Severity. Think of it as the answer to:
“How bad is this problem?”
Severity measures the technical impact of a defect on the system or application. It’s typically assessed by testers or QA professionals during various testing stages like Quality Assurance (QA), Business Acceptance Testing (BAT), or User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
Who Assigns Severity?
Severity is generally determined by:
QA Analysts
Test Engineers
Automation Testers
Sometimes developers during internal testing
How Is Severity Evaluated?
Severity is based on:
Extent of functionality affected
System behavior (crashes, data loss, freezing)
User impact (does it stop them from completing tasks?)
Availability of a workaround
Common Severity Levels
Severity is often ranked as follows:
Critical: The application crashes, loses data, or becomes unusable. No workaround available.
Major: Key functionality is broken, but the system remains operational. May have a workaround.
Medium: A non-core feature is affected. Doesn’t stop key business processes.
Low: Cosmetic issue or minor inconvenience. Doesn’t impact functionality.
Example: A “Submit” button in the checkout process causes a system crash. That’s a Critical Severity issue, even if only 1% of users experience it.
Priority vs. Severity: Not the Same Thing
Here’s the most important takeaway:
Priority and Severity are related—but not the same.
You can think of Severity as a technical measure and Priority as a business decision. A defect can have high severity and low priority, or vice versa.
Comparative Examples
| Scenario | Severity | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| An internal report crashes when exported, but no one uses it daily | High | Low |
| A typo on the homepage banner during a high-traffic sale | Low | High |
| Payment gateway fails for 5% of customers | Critical | High |
| Mobile UI misaligned on older devices | Low | Medium |
Understanding this distinction helps teams focus on what truly matters now, not just what’s technically broken.
How Priority and Severity Work Across the SDLC
Let’s explore how these concepts come into play in different stages and roles throughout a software project:
In QA and Testing (BAT/UAT)
During Business Acceptance Testing and User Acceptance Testing:
Testers log issues and assign Severity based on how the defect affects workflows.
Business users or POs assign Priority based on how urgently they want it fixed before go-live.
This ensures critical defects don’t sneak into production and low-impact bugs don’t waste precious dev time during crunch periods.
For Developers
Developers rely on Severity to gauge how serious the bug is.
They look at Priority to understand what they should work on first.
Clear labeling helps developers avoid confusion and focus on delivering fixes that matter most.
For Product Owners (POs)
POs juggle product vision, stakeholder input, and sprint goals. They:
Use Priority to guide the dev team’s focus.
Review Severity to understand technical risks and potential user frustrations.
Coordinate with QA and business teams to triage defects efficiently.
For Project Managers (PMs)
PMs are responsible for delivery timelines, risk, and team velocity. They:
Balance high-priority items with sprint commitments and release goals.
Reassess Priority levels based on Severity escalations or user feedback.
Ensure teams stay aligned with business objectives.
Why the Distinction Matters
In a high-functioning IT team, understanding and applying Priority and Severity correctly leads to:
✅ Faster turnaround on business-critical bugs
✅ Smarter backlog grooming
✅ Improved communication across roles
✅ Reduced risk during UAT or production launches
✅ Better user experience
Misunderstanding the two can cause:
Delays in fixing critical bugs
Developers wasting time on low-impact issues
Stakeholders frustrated by seemingly ignored problems
Scope creep and last-minute surprises before go-live
Scenarios:
✅ Scenario 1: The Broken Button
Issue: The “Download Invoice” button doesn’t work.
Impact: Affects 5% of users in a seldom-used report.
Severity: Major (key feature for affected users)
Priority: Low (rarely used, can wait for next sprint)
✅ Scenario 2: The Cringe-Worthy Homepage
Issue: Misspelled word on the homepage: “Welcomme”.
Impact: Makes the site look unprofessional during a launch.
Severity: Low (cosmetic)
Priority: High (visible to all users during an important campaign)
✅ Scenario 3: Crash on Launch
Issue: Mobile app crashes on startup for Android 10 users.
Severity: Critical
Priority: High
Outcome: Immediate hotfix and patch release required.
These examples show how separating business urgency (Priority) from technical impact (Severity) allows for more accurate planning and response.
Tips for Managing Priority and Severity in Your Team
Whether you’re new to these concepts or refining existing processes, here are some best practices:
1. Define Clear Guidelines
Create internal documentation with examples of what qualifies as Critical vs. Major, or High vs. Low Priority. This reduces subjectivity.
2. Use Your Tools Wisely
Most issue trackers (like Jira, Azure DevOps, or Bugzilla) allow you to set and filter by both fields. Use these filters during standups and triage meetings.
3. Review Regularly
Don’t assume that Priority and Severity are static. Revisit them during sprint planning or backlog refinement, especially if a defect’s context changes.
4. Foster Collaboration
Encourage testers, developers, and POs to discuss disagreements openly. Misalignment often comes from different perspectives, not bad judgment.
5. Balance Speed and Value
Don’t rush to fix every “urgent” item. Prioritize those that offer the highest user or business value with the least effort.
Summary:
Priority = When to fix
Severity = How bad the problem is
Together, they help teams decide what to fix first and why it matters
Understanding and applying these concepts isn’t just for testers or developers—it’s essential for everyone involved in delivering high-quality software. From planning sprints to launching updates, Priority and Severity help guide the team’s focus and resources toward what matters most.
By making thoughtful, aligned decisions using both metrics, IT teams can deliver better software faster—without burning out or missing the big picture.