Your questions assume the samples were tracked and assigned to the correct reports. Its much more likely that both samples were processed, and a software bug as

Your questions assume the samples were tracked and assigned to the correct reports. Its much more likely that both samples were processed, and a software bug assigned them the same output. You have to understand the company wasn't organized around results, it was organized around the appearance of results. The employees were earnest and motivated to do the right thing, so the samples were likely processed, but something like a bug in the handoff or assignment of data is unlikely to be caught. Incorrectly assigned data isn't important when the real goal is to give the appearance of success.