Standard : Open Defects by Severity

Description

Open Defects by Severity measures the number of known unresolved defects, segmented by severity (e.g. critical, major, minor). It is a key indicator of product health and release readiness.

How to Use

What to Measure

  • Total count of open defects by severity level.
  • Track trends over time and after releases.

Formula

Severity Distribution = Count of Open Defects per Severity Level

Example: 5 Critical, 10 Major, 20 Minor → 35 total open defects.

Instrumentation Tips

  • Use a defect tracking system with consistent severity definitions.
  • Automate reporting to avoid stale data.
  • Review severity levels regularly with product and engineering.

Why It Matters

  • Risk management: Critical defects represent business risk.
  • Customer impact: High severity issues hurt trust and satisfaction.
  • Quality culture: Encourages proactive defect prevention.

Best Practices

  • Prioritise resolving critical defects before shipping.
  • Trend severity distribution across sprints or releases.
  • Use data to justify investment in automated testing and QA.

Common Pitfalls

  • Misclassifying severity, leading to poor prioritisation.
  • Leaving defects open indefinitely without triage.
  • Failing to distinguish between known issues and regressions.

Signals of Success

  • Declining backlog of critical/major defects.
  • Shorter average age of open issues.
  • Fewer defects escape into production.
  • [[Escaped Defect Rate]]
  • [[Support Ticket Volume per User]]
  • [[Release Defect Density]]