3 ms·

Why? Have you never fixed a bug in your own code, or not followed every single one of your companies' procedures?

by fleitz 12y ago

watwut 12y ago
Of course people do mistakes and fail to follow procedures. That is why the company should have processes to catch dangerous mistakes and omissions in place. If one low level guy can cause such huge problems, then there is something very wrong with the way whole process works.
seren 12y ago
I am a SW engineer currently working in a regulated industry, and there is no procedure in place for me to fix something quickly behind everybody's back. The code should be at least reviewed, integrated and tested by 3 independent people. And the issue and the resolution action would have been reviewed/signed off at the system level as well. So it would be very unlikely that I could hide something for years without suspicion. This is in a way cumbersome and annoying but it is understandable why it is put in place this way. I used to work in consumer electronics, where I could commit whatever I wanted without any kind of supervision or checks, but this is generally not something you can do when it is a matter of life and death.
- TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
  That being the case, what is your opinion of what is going on here?
  - seren 12y ago
    It is possible a single engineer was negligent or even malicious, but I would rather believe the whole organization was at the very least encouraging a culture of "do whatever to be ready at the end of the quarter and I don't want any detail" (orally of course) You can't be reckless in a place where everyone is paying really close attention to safety and regulations. On the other hand if you are in environment where everyone is pretty lenient, it is much easier to slip between the checks. But, from a journalistic point of view, even if the story is not fabricated, it is a better story to have a villain, than trying to convey to the readership how complex organizations (mis)behave.
- calinet6 12y ago
  In the situation you describe above, it would be nearly impossible for the defect to appear in the first place. You wouldn't need to hide anything for years, because it would never need to be fixed. Furthermore, when trust is placed in the system and blame not given to the individual, then the momentum is to improve the final quality, not to hide a defect. The problem would have been fixed as soon as it was realized without a need to hide, fear, or cover up. No one would be blamed and no one held responsible, and the problem may never have escalated. The system was poor, therefore the quality was poor. This was not an individual's fault. Quality is a systems problem, plain and simple.

Why? Have you never fixed a bug in your own code, or not followed every single one of your companies' procedures?

by fleitz 12y ago

Why? Have you never fixed a bug in your own code, or not followed every single one of your companies' procedures?

Of course people do mistakes and fail to follow procedures. That is why the company should have processes to catch dangerous mistakes and omissions in place. If one low level guy can cause such huge problems, then there is something very wrong with the way whole process works.

seren 12y ago

I am a SW engineer currently working in a regulated industry, and there is no procedure in place for me to fix something quickly behind everybody's back. The code should be at least reviewed, integrated and tested by 3 independent people. And the issue and the resolution action would have been reviewed/signed off at the system level as well. So it would be very unlikely that I could hide something for years without suspicion. This is in a way cumbersome and annoying but it is understandable why it is put in place this way. I used to work in consumer electronics, where I could commit whatever I wanted without any kind of supervision or checks, but this is generally not something you can do when it is a matter of life and death.

TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
That being the case, what is your opinion of what is going on here?
- seren 12y ago
  It is possible a single engineer was negligent or even malicious, but I would rather believe the whole organization was at the very least encouraging a culture of "do whatever to be ready at the end of the quarter and I don't want any detail" (orally of course) You can't be reckless in a place where everyone is paying really close attention to safety and regulations. On the other hand if you are in environment where everyone is pretty lenient, it is much easier to slip between the checks. But, from a journalistic point of view, even if the story is not fabricated, it is a better story to have a villain, than trying to convey to the readership how complex organizations (mis)behave.
calinet6 12y ago
In the situation you describe above, it would be nearly impossible for the defect to appear in the first place. You wouldn't need to hide anything for years, because it would never need to be fixed. Furthermore, when trust is placed in the system and blame not given to the individual, then the momentum is to improve the final quality, not to hide a defect. The problem would have been fixed as soon as it was realized without a need to hide, fear, or cover up. No one would be blamed and no one held responsible, and the problem may never have escalated. The system was poor, therefore the quality was poor. This was not an individual's fault. Quality is a systems problem, plain and simple.