> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ultimatewebsolutions.gitbook.io/qa-knowledge-base/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ultimatewebsolutions.gitbook.io/qa-knowledge-base/severity-priority.md).

# Severity / Priority

**Severity** describes the technical impact of a defect on the system, while **priority** describes how urgently the business needs the defect to be fixed. Severity is mainly related to impact, whereas priority is related to business urgency.

> **Severity = How bad is the bug?**\
> **Priority = How soon should we fix it?**

#### Severity

Severity describes the **impact of the defect on the system**.

For example:

* **Critical** → system crashes / major functionality completely unavailable
* **High** → major functionality doesn't work
* **Medium** → important but there is a workaround
* **Low** → minor issue, cosmetic problem

#### Priority

Priority describes **how urgently the business wants the bug fixed**.

For example:

* **P1** → fix immediately
* **P2** → fix soon
* **P3** → fix later