In defect tracking, what does 'severity' indicate?

In defect tracking, 'severity' specifically refers to the impact a defect has on the application's functionality. This assessment focuses on how significantly the defect affects the user experience, operational capabilities, or overall performance of the application.

For instance, a defect that causes a critical function of the application to fail would be categorized with high severity because it can prevent users from completing essential tasks. On the other hand, a cosmetic issue that does not hinder functionality might be considered low severity, even though it still needs to be addressed.

Understanding severity is crucial for prioritizing defects and determining which issues should be addressed first, ensuring that the most critical problems are resolved promptly to maintain application quality and user satisfaction. This helps teams allocate resources effectively for testing and defect resolution.