Final answer:
Defect priority is the urgency of fixing a defect, often influenced by business needs and project timelines, while defect severity indicates the level of impact a defect has on the software's functionality, ranging from system crashes to minor issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
Defect Priority vs. Defect Severity
Defect priority refers to the urgency to fix a defect based on its importance and impact on the development process. It is about scheduling the order in which issues should be resolved. The priority is set by the project management and QA teams considering factors such as customer requirements, the release schedule, and the defect's impact on the application's functionality.
Defect severity, on the other hand, is about the level of impact that a given defect has on the operation of the software product. It reflects the seriousness of the defect concerning the functionality and usability of the system. High severity defects can cause system crashes or loss of data, while lower severity defects might have minor impact on the system's function.
It's essential to understand that while a defect may have high severity due to its potential impact on the system, its priority to fix might be low if the feature is rarely used or it occurs under very uncommon circumstances. Conversely, a defect of low severity that affects a critical feature used by most users may be assigned a high priority.