Why Software Systems Fail Essay -- Software Systems Computers Technolo

Why Softw be Systems Fail 1.0 IntroductionIn this report I will be concentrating on the failure of package placements. To understand why software systems fail we need to understand what are software systems. software package systems are a cause of information system. This is because a software system is basically a means for hardware to process information. Flynns definition of an information system isAn information system provides procedures to record and make available information, concerning part of an organization, to assist organization-related activities.Humans have been processing information manually for thousands of years, but with the vast increase of demand for cognition this century has meant that a new method of information processing has been needed. Software systems have provided a new means that is much faster and efficient. As a result a huge number of organisations have become software dependent. Some of these systems are used to safeguard the lives of many peo ple. This means that if these systems were to fail they could flatus to devastating consequences. Here are some examples of where software systems are used heavily and could be very dangerous if they were to fail - aviation, hospitals, space exploration, nuclear forefinger stations and communications. I will be looking at some examples of actual software failure in these fields to explain the reasons why systems fail.2.0 Reasons for Systems FailureIf software systems failure arse be so dangerous why can they not be completely eliminated? According to Parnas, The main reason is that software can never be guaranteed to be 100% reliable. Software systems are discrete-state systems that do not have repetitive structures. The mathematical functions that describe the behaviour of software systems are not continuous, and traditional engineering mathematics do not help in their verification. In other words some software can be so large that thorough testing can be almost impossible and s o bugs in the software can go unnoticed. An example of this was when an Atlas-Agena uprise veered off-course when it was ninety miles up. Ground control had to destroy the $18.5 rocket. The reasons for this - a missing hyphen. However there are many more reasons for software systems failure, and most of them are imputable to human negligence that leads to software failure. There are two types of software systems... ...e held responsible for the actions of the organisation. 4.0 BibliographyFlynn, Donal J. Information Systems Requirements Determination and Analysis McGraw-Hill Book Company 1992Parnas 1985 taken from Sherer, Susan A. Software Failure Risk Measurement and Management Plenum Press 1992Jones, Carpers Patterns of Software Systems Failure and Success Thomson computer press 1996Neumann, Peter G. ready reckoner Related Risks Addison-Wesley publishing guild 1995Petroski, Henry To Engineer is Human MacMillan Publishing 1985Flowers, Stephen Software failure management failur e Chichester John Wiley and Sons 1996.Report of the Inquiry into the London Ambulance Service February 1993. Simpson, Moira (1994) 999 My computers stopped breathing The Computer Law and Security Report, 10 March April pp 76-81Dr. Dobbs Journal January 1997 edition<a href=http//catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks>http//catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks<a href=http//www.scit.wlv.ac.uk >http//www.scit.wlv.ac.uk <a href=http//www.bbc.co.uk/news>http//www.bbc.co.uk/news<a href=http//abcnews.go.com/sections/travel>http//abcnews.go.com/sections/travel