| Recurring |
one_organization |
a) The software failure incident happened again at the DVSA website, where learners struggled to book driving tests due to the website crashing [103533].
b) There is no specific mention in the article about a similar incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the DVSA website crashing, leading to thousands struggling to book a driving test, can be attributed to factors introduced during system development or updates. The article mentions that the DVSA spokesperson acknowledged the impact of the coronavirus on their operations, including stopping driving tests for many months as part of social distancing measures. This suggests that the surge in demand for the driving test booking system after its reopening following the lockdown contributed to the system failure [Article 103533].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to factors related to the operation or misuse of the system. Learner drivers expressed frustration on social media about the website crashing, with some users reporting error messages and difficulties in booking tests. The article highlights instances where users encountered issues during the booking process, such as being kicked off the website after entering payment details or facing delays in accessing test slots. These operational challenges experienced by users indicate that the failure was also influenced by factors related to the operation of the system [Article 103533]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is primarily within_system. The DVSA website crashed, leading to thousands of learner drivers struggling to book a test. Users experienced issues such as long wait times, error messages, and being unable to complete their test bookings. The DVSA spokesperson mentioned that the driving test booking system faced unprecedented demand after reopening, indicating an internal system overload or technical issue causing the failure [103533]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be primarily due to non-human actions. The article mentions that the DVSA website crashed, leaving thousands struggling to book a driving test. Users reported receiving error messages such as "Oops! You went away and came back again," indicating technical issues with the website [103533]. The DVSA spokesperson mentioned that the unprecedented demand for the driving test booking system after its reopening was a contributing factor to the failure, which suggests a system overload rather than human error as the main cause of the software failure. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 103533 seems to be primarily related to software issues rather than hardware. The article mentions that the DVSA website crashed, leading to thousands of learner drivers struggling to book a test. Users experienced issues such as long waiting times, error messages, and being unable to progress past certain pages on the website. These issues point towards software-related problems such as server overload, website errors, and system glitches rather than hardware failures [103533]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article does not indicate any malicious intent behind the failure. The failure seems to be non-malicious and primarily caused by the unprecedented demand for the driving test booking system after its reopening following the coronavirus lockdown. Users experienced issues such as website crashes, error messages, and inability to complete test bookings due to the high traffic on the DVSA website [Article 103533]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the DVSA website crashing for learner drivers trying to book driving tests does not seem to indicate poor decisions as the intent behind the failure. The incident was primarily attributed to the unprecedented demand for the driving test booking system after its reopening following the coronavirus lockdown, which led to users being unable to complete their test bookings [103533].
(b) The software failure incident appears to be more aligned with accidental decisions or unintended consequences rather than poor decisions. The failure was a result of the high demand for booking driving tests after the reopening post-lockdown, causing the DVSA website to crash and users to experience difficulties in completing their bookings [103533]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 103533 seems to be more related to development incompetence rather than accidental factors. The article mentions that the DVSA website crashed, leaving thousands of learner drivers struggling to book a test. Users experienced issues such as long waiting times, error messages, and difficulties in completing test bookings. The DVSA spokesperson acknowledged the impact of the coronavirus on their operations and the unprecedented demand for the driving test booking system after its reopening, indicating that the failure was likely due to challenges in managing the surge in traffic and bookings, possibly stemming from development shortcomings or inadequate capacity planning.
(b) There is no specific mention of accidental factors contributing to the software failure incident in the provided article. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 103533 was temporary. Learner drivers experienced issues with the DVSA website crashing, error messages, and long wait times when trying to book driving tests. The article mentions that the DVSA acknowledged the problem and stated that they were urgently working to fix it, indicating that the issue was not permanent but rather a temporary glitch in the system [103533]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the DVSA website crash resulted in learners struggling to book a test, with some having to wait 'hours' without being able to get through and receiving error messages like 'Oops! You went away and came back again' [103533].
(b) omission: The DVSA website crash led to learners not being able to complete their test bookings despite the high demand for driving test slots after the reopening of the system [103533].
(c) timing: The software failure incident caused delays and frustration among learners trying to book driving test slots, with some experiencing issues like being unable to progress past the second page to book a test despite spending a significant amount of time on the website [103533].
(d) value: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident resulting in the system performing its intended functions incorrectly in the provided article.
(e) byzantine: The article does not indicate that the software failure incident led to inconsistent responses or interactions from the DVSA website.
(f) other: The software failure incident also caused chaos and frustration among learners, with some resorting to humor and suggesting alternative methods for determining driving test outcomes, such as using driving teachers' predicted grades as a nod to recent controversies [103533]. |