How do you classify errors by their criticality and importance for the product?

Errors in a product are usually classified based on two main criteria: severity and priority.

• Severity reflects how much the error affects the system's operation:

  • Critical: leads to system failure, data loss, or inability to use key features.
  • High: significant degradation of performance, but the system still functions partially.
  • Medium: the error affects specific functions but workarounds are available.
  • Low: cosmetic defects that do not affect functionality.

• Priority determines how urgently the error needs to be fixed from a business perspective:

  • High Priority: the error blocks release or is critical for users.
  • Medium Priority: fixing is desirable but not urgent.
  • Low Priority: fixing can be postponed.

For example, a bug that causes the application to crash on startup will have a "Critical" severity and "High" priority. An error in the display of a button's color may have low severity and low priority.

This approach helps the team plan work effectively and focus on the most important issues.