Priority
Priority is the level of importance assigned to a defect, requirement, or testing activity based on how urgently it should be addressed.
“The level of (business) importance assigned to an item, e.g., defect.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Priority?
Priority helps teams decide the order in which work should be completed according to business needs, customer impact, and project objectives.
Business focus: Reflects implementation or correction urgency.
Work planning: Guides task scheduling and resource allocation.
Different from severity: High severity does not always mean high priority.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Priority appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Priority as interchangeable with nearby ISTQB terms. That makes test scope blurry and can lead to weak evidence for the release decision.
The tester anchors the discussion in the official definition, asks where the concept appears in the product, and designs examples that show the difference between Priority and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Priority is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Priority in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Priority to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
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