Robert N. Charette, a renowned risk analyst and systems expert, has dedicated the past 20 years to writing about software failures in various publications, including his notable article “Why Software Fails,” published in IEEE Spectrum in 2005. With a career spanning over 50 years, Charette has witnessed a troubling pattern of delusional thinking among IT professionals, government officials, and corporate executives. He has become deeply concerned over the dangers of the mistakes that are being repeatedly made in software development.
Charette’s observations have often centered on massive software failures, such as the Canadian government’s Phoenix paycheck system. This system has had a plethora of problems since it went live almost nine years ago. Even the once-bright city is beset by the same issues now. Charette cites this as perhaps the best, and one of the most egregious, examples of how organizations do not learn from their previous mistakes. He reiterates that we’re just repeating the same past mistakes, and as a result are wasting billions of dollars, hampering operational efficiency and hurting our bottom line.
Throughout his career, Charette has reported on the staggering amount of over one trillion dollars wasted due to software failures. He insists that these failures are not just unfortunate accidents. Rather, they’re really unfortunate, but predictable and avoidable outcomes of bad planning and bad execution. So his frustration is very understandable, as he describes society’s tolerance for software failures. We wouldn’t put up with electricity blackouts every couple of days, but we don’t mind when an AWS, a telco or a bank crashes,” he says.
Charette’s observations have gotten loads of national press, capturing the imaginations of those in practice and policy. The takeaway, he says, is that it’s important for stakeholders to identify the patterns of failure that are systemic within the industry. By gaining insight into these patterns, organizations can identify and address the root causes of risks and better inform their approach to securing software development.
Even with all of the expertise flying around from people like Charette, they still don’t want to see the writing on the wall. He’s correct that this attitude prevalent among the IT profession often results in a lack of recognition of the risks involved in serious software projects. This delusion leads to misallocation of resources, insufficient testing and in the end, doomed projects.
Charette provides a scathing critique of what ails the industry and why those problems remain intractable. He advocates for a cultural change in how we view software failures. In short, he is calling for more accountability and more willingness to face the hard truths on what works on project delivery and what doesn’t. This change would produce healthier ecosystems and save money on the costs imposed by flaky software.
Charette’s work is a cautionary tale and a call to vigilance and foresight in the development of software. His observations highlight the need for agencies to take a much more rigorous risk management and project delivery approach. Through these efforts, they would have the opportunity to save millions of dollars and fund far more impactful initiatives while increasing operational efficiency.
