The following codes are used within Clear Quest to describe defect severiy.
Defects that cause cascading failure to render the entire system inoperable. E.g. the Qbe’s battery life which allows for ~30 seconds of unplugged operation.
Defects that grossly violate requirements or cause unrecoverable failure. E.g. allowing a patient to access the administration login fuction or redirecting the user to a dead-end page with no way out.
Defects that cause limited or localized failure. E.g. a zip code input that only allows for four characters to be input.
Defects that can cause failure but have workarounds. E.g. lack of a back button on a page but allowing the Right-Click->Back option to function.
Defects that do not cause failures or grossly impact driving quality attributes, but implementation of a fix would enhance system performance along some measurably quantity.