SEVERITY
Severity 2 (Medium)
Degraded performance or minor functionality broken for some users. Workarounds may exist.
SEV2
Degraded performance or minor functionality broken for some users. Workarounds may exist.
"Annoying, But Not Fatal"
SEV2 (Severity 2) means something is broken, but users can still do their main job, or only a small subset of users are affected.
Examples
- "Export to PDF" is failing, but users can still view the data on screen. (Workaround exists).
- Search is slow (5 seconds) but returns results.
- Admin dashboard is down, but customer dashboard is up.
Response
Handle it urgently during the day. If it's 3 AM, it can usually wait until morning, unless you have strict 24/7 contracts.
ExThe Broken Analytics Dashboard
"Customers could not view their daily reports, but data processing was still working fine."
Impact
Support tickets spiked, but no revenue was lost.
Resolution
Fixed the frontend bug in 4 hours.
Why SEV2 Matters
Users are annoyed but not blocked.
Should be fixed same-day, but doesn't require waking people up at night (unless on-call policy dictates).
Common Pitfalls
Stale SEV2s
Letting SEV2s sit for weeks. Treat them as "Must Fix Today".
Ignoring Support
Not updating Support agents, leading to angry customers.
How to Use SEV2
📅
Work Hours: Fix during business hours if possible.
🐛
Bug Tracking: Ensure it is logged in Jira/Linear.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I wake up on-call?
Depends on the team. Usually SEV2 = Page if daytime, Email/Ticket if night.
Is a workaround required?
Yes. If no workaround exists, it might be a SEV1.