Robert Charette is an internationally recognized risk analyst and systems scientist. His career has focused on addressing the pervasive and costly problem of software failures. Charette has devoted the past half century to his career. As an independent voice of reason in the industry, he brings attention to the expensive disasters that continue to plague IT projects to this day. For the last twenty years, he’s provided informative takes on this topic for IEEE Spectrum. He’s a tireless advocate for sounding the alarm on dangerous trends in software development.
Charette’s observations tell a sad and even frightening story about the collective delusional mindset of so many IT professionals, government bureaucrats, and quasi-corporate leaders. The financial impact from software failures has been measured in the hundreds of trillions of dollars. Far too many people and entities still underestimate the danger of making these expensive mistakes again. As an orator, his ideas often leave his listeners searching for a more profound application. He claims that when you start talking about the software development realities, it can start sounding a little too “depressing.”
Charette has been closely checking out the Canadian government’s Phoenix paycheck fiasco. Despite this Herculean effort, this system has historically been a monumental disaster since it was first put into place. Now, nine years after its rollout, terrible problems with the system go on, revealing the years-long effect of poor handling of technology. Charette’s frustration extends beyond governmental failures; he expresses concern over society’s overall tolerance for software shortcomings.
“In any other industry we would not tolerate this high failure rate,” Charette said. “Software is as significant as electricity. We’d never put up with the power going out every other day. We think nothing of accepting disruptions from AWS, telcos, or banks.
Charette’s long career also saw him producing landmark articles like “Why Software Fails,” which was published in 2005. In this piece, he sought to address the root causes of software failures and called on organizations to focus on prevention. We’ve heard from many of you that companies often aren’t incentivized to fix these failures. Second, they underestimate the risk operations pose to their organization.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled over 300 medical devices due to software failures. As a result, these recalls bring to life the astonishing importance of this issue. The standard is high, especially considering that on average the FDA recalls more than 20 medical devices per month because their software has malfunctioned. Charette underscored the higher standards that are required for creating software for medical devices. She stressed the fact that we need to have many more checks and be acutely aware of the severe consequences that come from not meeting those.
There is a clear call for urgent action not only in Charette’s work but in the practice of software development. He emphasizes that understanding the reasons behind persistent software failures is crucial not only for individual organizations but for broader societal implications.
“The biggest tragedy is that [software failure] is for the most part predictable and avoidable. Unfortunately, most organizations don’t see preventing failure as an urgent matter, even though that view risks harming the organization and maybe even destroying it.” – Robert N. Charette
Robert N. Charette has been an independent analyst and commentator on the software development industry for over 30 years. He is a key champion for accountability in this burgeoning field. His insights serve as a reminder that addressing systemic issues in this field is essential for the future of technology and its role in society.
