Software Dysfunction: Why Do Software Fail?

Abstract

Software is pervasive in modern society, but we are often unaware of its presence until problems arise. Software is one of the most important and yet one of the most economically challenging techniques of this era. As a purely intellectual product, it is among the most labor-intensive, complex, and error-prone technologies in human history. Until the 1970s, programmers were very meticulous in planning their code, rigorously checking code, providing detailed documentation, and exhaustive testing before the software is released to users. However, as computer became widespread, attitudes changed. Instead of meticulously planning code, the attitude of the average programmer today is possibly hacking sessions or writing any sloppy piece of code and the compiler will run diagonally, a situation called, “code and fix”, where the programmer tried to fix errors one by one until the software compiled properly. As programs grew in size and complexity, the limits of this “code and fix” approach became evident. In this paper, we studied the various reasons why software fails. Our studies reveal that the major reasons why software fails are poor or no design at all, inadequate testing of codes, and attitudinal changes among programmers and other factors.