SEVERITY
Incident Priority (SEV Levels)
A classification system (P0-P4 or SEV1-SEV5) that determines the urgency and response time required for an incident.
Priority
A classification system (P0-P4 or SEV1-SEV5) that determines the urgency and response time required for an incident.
P0 vs. P3
- P0 (Critical): The house is on fire. All hands on deck. (e.g., Site down).
- P1 (High): Major functionality broken. Fix ASAP. (e.g., Checkout failing).
- P2 (Medium): Minor functionality broken. Fix during business hours. (e.g., Typo on homepage).
- P3 (Low): Annoyance. Fix eventually. (e.g., Button color wrong).
ExFinTech Platform Priority Classification
"Payment processing fails. P0 because revenue impact >$50K/min. Automated classification based on "revenue impact per minute" rule. Page sent to VP Engineering and 5 senior engineers."
Impact
Payment processing restored in 18 minutes, $900K saved
Resolution
Built automatic failover to backup payment provider
Why Priority Matters
Sets expectations for response time (SLAs).
Prevents burnout by ensuring you only wake people up for real emergencies.
Common Pitfalls
Classifying everything as P0 "just in case"
P0 should be rare (<5% of incidents). Over-classification causes alert fatigue and leads to ignored pages.
No clear criteria for priority levels
Create a severity matrix with specific examples. Train all team members on classification criteria.
Related Terms
Generate Your Severity Matrix
Benchmark against industry standards and identify improvement opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between P0 and SEV0?
P0 and SEV0 are the same concept: critical priority. Different companies use different notation (P for Priority, SEV for Severity). Both mean "drop everything".
How do I choose between P1 and P2?
P1 affects core functionality or revenue (checkout, login). P2 affects non-critical features (reporting, profile edits). When in doubt, err on the side of higher priority.
Can incident priority change during response?
Yes, priority can be upgraded or downgraded as more information becomes available. Document the reason for priority changes in the incident timeline.