Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Failure
Fail better.
—Samuel Beckett,
“Worstward Ho,” 1983
Civilizations perish, organisms die, planes crash, buildings crumble,
bridges collapse, peaceful nuclear reactors explode, and cars stall. That
is, systems fail. The reasons for failure and the impacts of the failure vary;
but when systems fail, they bring forth images of incompetence. Should
we expect perfection from systems we develop when we ourselves are
not perfect?
All man-made systems are based on theories, laws, and hypotheses.
Even core physical and biological laws contain implicit assumptions that
reflect a current, often limited, understanding of the complex adaptive
ecosystems in which these systems operate. Surely this affects the systems
we develop.
Most people recognize the inevitability of some sort of failure although
their reaction to it is based on the timing of the failure with respect to the
life expectancy of the system. A 200-year-old monument that crumbles will
not cause as much consternation as the collapse of a two-year-old bridge.
In software, failure has become an accepted phenomenon. Terms such
as “the blue-screen-of-death” have evolved in common computer parlance.
It is a sad reflection on the maturity of our industry that system failure
studies, causes and investigations, even when they occur, are rarely shared
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