Chapter 7

Vignette (Boeing Dream liner Faces a Few Bumps in the Road)

Questions to Consider

1. Is this example of software problems holding up the introduction of a major new product and impacting a firm’s customer’s and supplier’s unusual, or it’s common occurrence?

Answer:

Software problems in the automated baggage sorting system caused the system to go offline for almost two days. As a result, carriers in the terminal were forced to sort baggage manually experienced delays, flight cancellations and frustration. The breakdown reportedly occurred during a software upgrade, despite pretesting of the software. The system continued to experience problems in subsequent months.

2. What can organizations do to reduce the negative consequences of software development problems in the production of their products and the operation of their business processes and facilities?

Answer:

Unfortunately, the first release of any software rarely meets all it user’s expectations. Software products do not usually work as well as its users would like it to until it has been used for a while, found lacking in some ways, and then corrected or upgraded.

Cases

Patriot Missile Failure

1. With the benefit of hindsight, what steps could have been taken during development of the patriot software to avoid the problems that led to the loss of life? Do you think these steps would have improved the Patriot’s effectiveness enough to make it obvious that the missile was a strong deterrent against the Scud? Why or why not

Answer:

The patriot missile is launched and guided to the target through three phases. First, the missile guidance system turns the patriot launcher to face the incoming missile. Second, the computer control system guides the patriot toward the incoming missile. Third, the patriot missile’s internal radar receiver guides it to intercept the incoming missile.

2. What ethical decisions do you think the U.S military made in choosing to deploy the Patriot missile to Israel and Saudi Arabia and in reporting the effectiveness of the Patriot system?

Answer:

Patriot battalions were deployed to Saudi Arabia and then to Israel to defend key assets, military personnel and citizens against Iraqi scud missiles. During the conflict, Iraq launched 81 modified Scud ballistic missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Iraqis modified the Scud missile to increase its range and boost its speed by as much as 25 percent. They reduced the weight of the warhead, enlarged the fuel tanks, and modified its flight so that all of the fuel was burned during the early phase of flight rather than throughout the flight’s duration.

3. What key lessons from this example of safety-critical software development could be applied to the development of business information system software?

Answer:

Development could applied to a business information system software through benefits of informing by doing exactly modified software to fix the inaccurate time calculation, it won’t delay to the difficulties of arranging air and ground transportation during wartime.