7.6.2 - Severity

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Understanding Severity

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Teacher
Teacher

Today, we’ll dive into the concept of severity in defect management. Can anyone tell me what severity means in this context?

Student 1
Student 1

Is it about how big the problem is?

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! Severity assesses the technical impact of a defect. For instance, a critical severity defect might crash the application, while a trivial one could just involve a minor typo.

Student 2
Student 2

So, critical and trivial are examples of severity levels?

Teacher
Teacher

Yes! Remember the acronym 'CMMT' for Critical, Major, Minor, and Trivial to recall the different severity levels.

Student 3
Student 3

Got it! But how do we differentiate it from priority?

Teacher
Teacher

Great question! Priority refers to how urgently we need to fix the defect, which can vary regardless of its severity. Let's summarize: severity measures technical impact, while priority measures business urgency.

Severity Examples

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Teacher
Teacher

Let’s go through some examples of severity levels. Can anyone give an example of a critical severity defect?

Student 4
Student 4

An app crash when logging in!

Teacher
Teacher

Correct! That type of defect prevents any usage of the application. What about a major severity issue?

Student 1
Student 1

A wrong calculation on an invoice!

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! That impacts user trust and financial dealings. Now, how about a minor severity example?

Student 2
Student 2

A misaligned button on the interface?

Teacher
Teacher

Very good! And trivial? Any thoughts?

Student 3
Student 3

A typo in the footer of the app.

Teacher
Teacher

Well done! Keeping these examples and classifications in mind is crucial for effectively managing defects.

The Importance of Severity

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Teacher
Teacher

Why do you think understanding severity is important in defect management?

Student 4
Student 4

It helps prioritize how we deal with bugs?

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! Understanding severity ensures that we focus our resources on the most impactful defective behaviours. For instance, prioritizing fixes for critical defects can mean the difference between a functioning application and an unusable one.

Student 1
Student 1

Got it! So it's about managing our efforts wisely.

Teacher
Teacher

That's right! Remember that communication is key; articulating severity and priority helps align the team’s efforts.

Introduction & Overview

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Quick Overview

This section covers the concept of severity in defect management, explaining its definition, examples, and distinction from priority.

Standard

In this section, we explore the severity levels of software defects and how they differ from the priority of addressing those defects. Examples are provided to illustrate different severity categories, emphasizing that a defect's severity indicates its technical impact, while priority indicates the urgency of fixing it.

Detailed

Severity in Defect Management

Severity is a critical factor in defect management, often used alongside priority to determine the best course of action for resolving bugs.

Definition

  • Severity refers to the technical impact a defect has on the system, assessed by Quality Assurance (QA) teams or testers. It classifies defects based on how significantly they affect functionality. Severity can range from 'Critical', where the application crashes, to 'Trivial', which may involve minor typographical errors that do not affect usability.

Severity Examples:

  1. Critical Severity: App crashes on login — immediate attention required.
  2. Major Severity: Wrong calculations in invoices — high impact on user trust.
  3. Minor Severity: UI alignment issues — cosmetic but should be fixed when possible.
  4. Trivial Severity: Typographical mistakes — low priority corrective actions.

Comparison with Priority

  • Priority indicates the urgency to fix the defect from a business perspective, often decided by managers or stakeholders. For instance, a defect may have a high severity but low priority if it does not impact business operations significantly, or vice versa.

Understanding severity not only helps teams effectively categorize defects but also assists in better communication and resolution management within a development lifecycle.

Audio Book

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Understanding Severity

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Two key attributes are used to evaluate the impact and urgency of a defect:

Factor Severity Priority
What it Technical impact of the bug on the Business urgency to fix it
means system
Decided QA/Testers Product Owners/Managers

Detailed Explanation

Severity refers to the technical impact that a defect has on a software system. It determines how serious the defect is from a technical standpoint. For example, if a bug causes the entire application to crash, this would be considered a high severity defect. Priority, on the other hand, is about the urgency of fixing the defect. This is decided by product owners or managers based on business needs, like deadlines or release schedules.

Examples & Analogies

Imagine you have a car. If the engine fails, that's a high severity issue because the car cannot run. However, if there's a small scratch on the paint, while it may be low severity, fixing it might be prioritized differently based on how much it impacts the car's appearance or your plan to sell it.

Labels of Severity

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🎯 Severity Examples:
- Critical: App crashes on login
- Major: Wrong calculation in an invoice total
- Minor: UI alignment issue on help page
- Trivial: Typo in footer text

Detailed Explanation

The severity of defects is categorized into different labels. A 'Critical' severity defect might cause a complete failure of the application, making it unusable. 'Major' severity issues could have significant impacts but may not bring down the entire application. 'Minor' severity defects are those that might affect usability but do not hinder the application's main functions. 'Trivial' defects are the least critical, often just cosmetic issues.

Examples & Analogies

Think of a restaurant. If the kitchen is on fire, that's a critical issue (critical severity). If the food has the wrong spice level, that's a major issue. If a table is slightly wobbly, that's a minor issue. And if there’s a small misspelling on the menu, that’s trivial.

Understanding Priority

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🎯 Priority Examples:
- High: Fix required before release
- Medium: Can be scheduled in next sprint
- Low: Cosmetic issue, fix in future release

Detailed Explanation

Priority reflects how soon a bug should be fixed based on the impact on the business. A high priority defect needs to be addressed immediately, especially if it's preventing a release. A medium priority defect can be fixed in the next update cycle, while a low priority defect can wait until a future release, often due to its minor impact.

Examples & Analogies

Imagine working on a project with a deadline. If you have an issue that prevents you from submitting your work (like a system crash), it’s a high priority to fix it. If there’s a minor issue, like a mislabeled file that doesn’t impact functionality, it can be fixed later — that’s low priority.

Severity and Priority Relationship

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🔄 A defect can be High Severity + Low Priority, or Low Severity + High Priority, depending on business needs.

Detailed Explanation

Not all defects with high severity are considered high priority. For instance, a critical bug found just before a release might be urgent to fix, while a low severity issue found in a non-critical part of the system might be prioritized higher because it aligns with business objectives, like upcoming features. This flexibility allows teams to manage resources effectively.

Examples & Analogies

Consider a school preparing for graduation. If a student's final paper has critical errors but it's submitted at the last minute, it’s high severity but might not be prioritized to be fixed right away. Conversely, if a minor error in the graduation program is caught, it might be fixed immediately because it impacts the ceremony — that’s low severity but high priority.

Definitions & Key Concepts

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Key Concepts

  • Severity: A ranking of how much a bug affects the technical functionality of an application.

  • Priority: A ranking of how urgent it is to resolve a bug from a business perspective.

  • Critical Severity: A defect that prevents the use of the application.

  • Major Severity: A defect that affects significant application functionality.

  • Minor Severity: A defect that represents minor usability issues.

  • Trivial Severity: A defect with minimal impact on functionality.

Examples & Real-Life Applications

See how the concepts apply in real-world scenarios to understand their practical implications.

Examples

  • A critical severity defect occurs when the application crashes, halting all operations.

  • A major severity defect can result in incorrect calculations, impacting financial records significantly.

  • A minor severity defect may involve slight misalignments in user interface elements.

  • A trivial severity defect might be a simple typo that doesn’t hinder any functionality.

Memory Aids

Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.

🎵 Rhymes Time

  • When bugs are critical, it stops the fun, / Major and minor, but trivial's a pun.

📖 Fascinating Stories

  • Imagine a team racing to fix a car. A flat tire (critical) stops the car completely, while a dent (minor) isn’t urgent at all. They prioritize fixing the tire first, demonstrating how severity works.

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • Remember 'CMMT' - Critical, Major, Minor, Trivial for severity classification.

🎯 Super Acronyms

Use 'SPIV' for Severity Priority Interaction Value — it helps you remember the distinction between severity and priority.

Flash Cards

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Glossary of Terms

Review the Definitions for terms.

  • Term: Severity

    Definition:

    The technical impact a defect has on the system, indicating its seriousness.

  • Term: Priority

    Definition:

    The urgency to fix a defect, determining its immediate importance within business operations.

  • Term: Critical Severity

    Definition:

    A severity classification where the defect causes significant failures, often leading to system crashes.

  • Term: Major Severity

    Definition:

    A classification where the defect affects significant functionality, potentially causing major disruptions.

  • Term: Minor Severity

    Definition:

    A defect classification that denotes minor issues which have a minimal effect on functionality.

  • Term: Trivial Severity

    Definition:

    A classification for defects that are negligible and do not impact application functionality.