Bugs are classified by urgency into five levels (P0βP4), each with a clear target fix window. This guide standardizes scheduling in development and operations to protect system stability and user experience.
- Why Priority?
- Definitions at a Glance
- Priority Levels
- Remediation Time Targets
- Distinguishing P2 vs P3
Priority expresses when a bug should be addressed. Clear levels and time targets help teams allocate resources, coordinate releases, and avoid unnecessary operational risk.
- P0βP4: five urgency levels, each with a target fix window
- Applied across feature development and production operations
- Used alongside severity (impact) to make balanced, auditable decisions
Definition
- System or major functionality is completely unavailable
- Core business is fully blocked
- Must be addressed immediately or all users are affected
Examples (common)
- Global login outage (sign-in fails for all users)
- Checkout/payment succeeds on client but order or capture is not recorded
- Critical API/service outage (dashboards/lists do not load for all tenants)
Definition
- Affects primary functionality while the system remains usable
- Serious disruption without a full outage
Examples (common)
- Core form submission fails (βSave/Submitβ returns an error) for many users; data must be re-entered or a different browser used
- Password reset / 2FA codes not delivered to a large subset of users; support can verify or reset accounts manually
- File upload for common types (PDF/CSV) fails; users must email files to support or switch to a workaround
- Settings/profile changes cannot be saved in-app; an admin can update values via the admin console
Definition
- Impacts secondary features or specific scenarios
- Risks data correctness or increases manual workload
- Should be fixed promptly to prevent persistent friction
Examples (common)
- List sorting/pagination inconsistent (e.g., newest not first; last page duplicates or misses items)
- Filter state not retained after navigation; users must re-apply filters
- Autosave intermittently fails; manual save works reliably
- Notifications/badge counts update several minutes late
- CSV export headers/order require light cleanup in a spreadsheet tool
Definition
- Minor UI issues or small delays; tasks remain completable
- Experience/appearance problems with no material business risk
- Schedule as optimization or routine release fix
Examples (common)
- Button/icon alignment slightly off on mobile but remains clickable
- Loading/skeleton shows briefly; counts update after a few seconds
- Truncated long names in lists, full value still accessible via tooltip/detail
Definition
- Pure visual/style details with no functional/business impact
- Optional fix that may be queued as a future enhancement
Examples (common)
- Copy tone/microcopy preference (e.g., emoji usage)
- Non-standardized version string format (e.g.,
4.0.1-1203beta) - Request for polish-only animation or subtle visual refinement
- π΄ P0: same day
- π‘ P1: within 5 business days
- π£ P2: within 2 weeks
- π΅ P3: within 1 month, or as appropriate
- π’ P4: report only; fix is optional
-
π£ P2 β Medium
- Functional issues that create manual rework or confusing outcomes
- β Examples: list sorting/pagination incorrect; export headers/order require cleanup
-
π΅ P3 β Low
- UI/UX quirks that do not prevent task completion
- β Examples: minor alignment/spacing; truncation with tooltip; brief delayed counters