Modern Software Problems - The Technical and Social History of Software Engineering - page 373

• Volvo recalled a number of 2012 S60 sedans due to software problems
with the fuel pumps.
Lessons learned: Automobiles are now sophisticated devices with a number of
onboard computers and many systems either directly controlled by software or as-
sisted by software. Therefore, automobile manufacturers should adopt a full suite
of modern defect prevention and defect removal steps.
Problem avoidance: Because so many automotive features and controls are now
affected by software, many software quality control methods are needed. These
include QFD, pre-test requirements, design and code inspections, static analysis
of text, and static analysis of code. Testing should be formal with mathematically
designed test cases, and it should be performed by certified test personnel.
Over the past ten years, about ten million automobiles have been recalled due
to software-related problems. One warranty company reported that about 27% of
repairs are related to computer and software malfunctions. More analysis and bet-
ter data across all automobile manufacturers are needed.
Summary
In the modern world, computers and software are the critical operating compon-
ents of aircraft, medical devices, the stock market, banking, business, and gov-
ernment. Since software controls so many critical activities, it should be obvious
that quality control is a key topic that needs to be fully understood, and companies
need to use state-of-the-art methods.
But in the problems shown here and the thousands of similar problems that oc-
cur with other systems, quality control is often primitive and inept. The executives
of the companies that produce bad software need to realize that quality problems
are serious enough that litigation and damages can possibly cause bankruptcy,
even for major corporations.
A simplistic reliance on testing and a failure to perform pre-test inspections or
use static analysis is not an adequate response and does not lead to effective qual-
ity control. The industry needs to deploy a full suite of synergistic quality meth-
ods that include pre-test inspections; pre-test static analysis of text and code; and
formal, mathematically based testing by certified test personnel. Anything less for
mission-critical software applications can lead to the same kinds of problems dis-
cussed in this chapter.