How is the severity of an incident typically measured?

The severity of an incident is typically measured by its impact on the business and the urgency with which it must be resolved. This approach aligns with ITIL's focus on understanding how incidents affect service delivery and overall business objectives.

Measuring impact involves assessing how much the incident disrupts operations, impacts service quality, or affects end-user experience. Urgency reflects the time sensitivity of the incident, which can dictate how quickly a resolution is needed to minimize disruption. By considering both aspects, organizations can prioritize incidents effectively, ensuring that the most critical issues receive the necessary resources and attention to restore normal service as quickly as possible.

This method of measurement helps in effective resource allocation and managing service levels, ultimately supporting the organization's operational goals. The other potential measures, such as frequency of occurrence, cost, or employee feedback, do not directly capture the immediate operational challenges or urgency associated with the incident, which makes them less effective for determining severity in the context of ITIL's service operation processes.