Incident: Faulty Software in McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Leads to Repair Disputes

Published Date: 2021-08-11

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the faulty software in McDonald's ice cream machines happened around July 2021 [117852].
System 1. Taylor's ice cream machines with faulty software [117852] 2. Kytch's device software that was copied by Taylor [117852]
Responsible Organization 1. Taylor, the kitchen equipment company, was responsible for causing the software failure incident by creating faulty software in the McFlurry machines [117852]. 2. Kytch, the California-based tech firm, also played a role in the incident by alleging that the machines' software contained flawed code and creating a patch to fix the problem [117852].
Impacted Organization 1. McDonald's franchisees and workers were impacted by the software failure incident as they faced issues with the malfunctioning ice cream machines, leading to missed McFlurries and frustrations [117852]. 2. Kytch, the California-based tech firm, was impacted by the software failure incident as they claimed loss of business due to Taylor allegedly copying their product and spreading misinformation about the safety of their device [117852].
Software Causes 1. The software in the McDonald's ice cream machines, manufactured by Taylor, contained flawed code that caused the machines to malfunction [117852]. 2. Taylor built its own version of a patch to keep making money off repairs, indicating a software issue in the original code [117852].
Non-software Causes 1. Faulty hardware components in the machines, such as moving parts that get cold for ice cream but hot for cleaning [117852]. 2. Exclusive repair agreement by Taylor, causing delays in fixing the machines [117852]. 3. Use of 'jumpers' by frustrated McDonald's workers to bypass software restrictions on machine operation [117852]. 4. Dispute between Kytch and Taylor over the use of a device to make repairs without Taylor-approved technicians [117852]. 5. Allegations of Taylor copying Kytch's device, leading to a legal battle [117852].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident led to a significant number of broken McDonald's ice cream machines across the country, with 10% of them offline as reported by McBroken [117852]. 2. Frustrated McDonald's workers resorted to using 'jumpers' to bypass the faulty software and make the machines operable, indicating a direct impact on operational efficiency and employee frustration [117852]. 3. The software failure incident resulted in a legal battle between Kytch and Taylor, with Kytch accusing Taylor of copying its device and impacting its business, leading to a restraining order against Taylor issued by a California judge [117852].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough software testing procedures during the development phase to identify and rectify any flaws in the code [117852]. 2. Conducting regular software maintenance and updates to address any potential vulnerabilities or issues that may arise over time [117852]. 3. Encouraging open communication and collaboration between different software companies involved in the development and maintenance of the machines to prevent conflicts and legal disputes that could lead to software failures [117852].
Fixes 1. Implementing the patch created by Kytch that quickly fixed the flawed code causing the machines to malfunction [117852]. 2. Ensuring that the Taylor machines no longer contain the faulty software that leads to malfunctions [117852].
References 1. Wired 2. Motherboard 3. DailyMail.com 4. Court documents mentioned in the articles [117852]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to broken McFlurry machines has happened again at McDonald's. The machines made by Taylor, with faulty software, have caused ongoing issues with the ice cream machines at McDonald's locations, leading to frustrations among customers and workers [117852]. (b) The software failure incident involving the flawed software in the McFlurry machines has also affected multiple organizations. Kytch, a California-based tech firm, developed a patch to fix the software issue in the machines, indicating that the problem was not limited to just McDonald's locations but potentially affected other organizations using similar Taylor machines [117852].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article. The rival software company's lawsuit claims that the McDonald's ice cream machines made by Taylor were created with faulty software in order to boost profits from the cost of repairing them. This indicates a failure due to contributing factors introduced during the system development phase [117852]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also highlighted in the articles. Frustrated McDonald's workers resorted to using 'jumpers' to bypass the software that made the machines inoperable unless they've been cleaned. This action by the workers showcases a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [117852].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident related to the McFlurry machines at McDonald's can be categorized as within_system. The incident was primarily caused by faulty software in the machines created by the manufacturer, Taylor. The software flaw led to malfunctions in the machines, causing them to be out of service and impacting the availability of McFlurries for customers [117852]. Additionally, the rival software company, Kytch, identified flawed code in the machines' software and developed a patch to address the issue, indicating an internal software problem within the system [117852].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to faulty software in the McFlurry machines manufactured by Taylor. The machines had flawed code that caused them to malfunction, leading to a significant number of them being offline. Additionally, the software issue was exploited by using 'jumpers' to bypass the software that made the machines inoperable unless they were cleaned properly [117852]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: Human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. Kytch, a California-based tech firm, created a patch to quickly fix the software problem in the machines. This action by Kytch led to a conflict with Taylor executives, who claimed that the Kytch device was dangerous. Taylor then built its own version of the patch to continue making money off repairs, leading to a legal battle between the two companies [117852].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The article mentions that the McDonald's ice cream machines made by Taylor have a lot of moving parts that get cold for ice cream but hot for cleaning, indicating a hardware component involved in the failure [117852]. - Frustrated McDonald's workers resorted to using 'jumpers,' small metal or plastic brackets, to bypass software that makes the machines inoperable unless they've been cleaned, suggesting a workaround at the hardware level to address the software-related issue [117852]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - Kytch, a California-based tech firm, alleged that the machines' software contains 'flawed code that caused the machines to malfunction' and created a patch that quickly fixed the problem, pointing to a software issue leading to the failure [117852]. - Taylor built its own version of the patch to keep making money off repairs, indicating a software-related response to the initial software failure reported by Kytch [117852].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident in this case appears to be non-malicious. The issue stemmed from a lawsuit claiming that the manufacturer, Taylor, created the machines with faulty software in order to boost profits from the cost of repairing them. The rival software company, Kytch, alleged that the machines' software contained flawed code that caused malfunctions and created a patch to quickly fix the problem. Taylor, on the other hand, was accused of copying Kytch's device and building its own version of the patch to continue making money off repairs [117852].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions, unknown (a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor decisions can be seen in the article. The manufacturer of the McFlurry machines, Taylor, is accused of creating faulty software in order to boost profits from the cost of repairing them. The exclusive repair agreement with Taylor and the high repair costs imposed on franchisees suggest a deliberate strategy to maximize profits at the expense of operational efficiency and customer satisfaction [117852]. (b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental decisions is not explicitly mentioned in the articles.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article. The rival software company's lawsuit claims that the manufacturer of the McFlurry machines, Taylor, created them with faulty software in order to boost profits from the cost of repairing them. This indicates a lack of professional competence in the development of the software for the machines [117852]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also present in the article. Kytch, a California-based tech firm, alleges that the machines' software contains flawed code that caused the machines to malfunction. This suggests that the failure was introduced accidentally due to the flawed code in the software [117852].
Duration temporary (a) The software failure incident in this case appears to be temporary rather than permanent. The incident was related to faulty software in McDonald's ice cream machines made by Taylor, which caused the machines to malfunction and be out of service. The software flaw led to the machines being inoperable unless they were cleaned, resulting in a significant number of broken machines across the country. However, a California-based tech firm, Kytch, developed a patch that quickly fixed the problem, allowing workers to make simple repairs through an app without having to wait for Taylor-approved technicians. This indicates that the software failure was not permanent but rather temporary, as a solution was found to address the issue and restore the functionality of the machines [117852].
Behaviour omission, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in this case did not involve a crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions. The issue was related to the malfunctioning of the ice cream machines due to flawed software, leading to them being out of service for extended periods [117852]. (b) omission: The software failure incident can be categorized under omission as the machines were not performing their intended functions of serving McFlurries due to the faulty software. The software made the machines inoperable unless they had been cleaned, causing frustration among McDonald's workers and customers [117852]. (c) timing: The software failure incident did not involve a timing issue where the system performed its intended functions but at the wrong time. The primary problem was the machines not functioning properly due to flawed software, leading to extended downtime for repairs [117852]. (d) value: The software failure incident falls under the value category as the machines were not performing their intended functions correctly due to the flawed software. This incorrect functioning of the software led to the machines being out of service for extended periods, impacting McDonald's operations and customer experience [117852]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The core issue was the malfunctioning of the machines due to flawed software, leading to operational challenges and the need for repairs [117852]. (f) other: The software failure incident involved a situation where a rival software company accused the manufacturer of creating the machines with faulty software to boost profits from repair costs. This behavior of intentionally creating faulty software for financial gain is a unique aspect of this incident that does not fit into the other categories mentioned [117852].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception processing_unit, embedded_software (a) sensor: The software failure incident related to the McFlurry machines at McDonald's was not directly attributed to sensor errors. The issue primarily stemmed from flawed software in the machines, repair agreements, and the introduction of a third-party device to bypass the software restrictions [117852]. (b) actuator: The incident did not specifically mention any failures related to actuators in the McFlurry machines. The focus was more on the software flaws, repair processes, and the introduction of the Kytch device to address the software issues [117852]. (c) processing_unit: The failure in this incident was primarily linked to flaws in the embedded software of the machines. The faulty software caused malfunctions in the machines, leading to extended downtime and the need for repairs [117852]. (d) network_communication: There was no direct mention of network communication errors contributing to the software failure incident with the McFlurry machines at McDonald's. The main issues were related to the software flaws, repair agreements, and the introduction of the Kytch device [117852]. (e) embedded_software: The core issue in this software failure incident was related to flaws in the embedded software of the Taylor machines used for making McFlurries at McDonald's. The faulty software caused operational issues, leading to extended downtime and the need for repairs [117852].
Communication unknown The software failure incident described in the articles does not directly relate to a failure at the communication layer of the cyber-physical system. The incident primarily revolves around issues with the software controlling the McFlurry machines, the introduction of a patch by Kytch to address the malfunction, and the legal battle between Kytch and Taylor over the use of the patch. There is no specific mention of failures at the link_level or connectivity_level in the context of a cyber-physical system in the provided articles [117852].
Application TRUE The software failure incident described in the provided article [117852] was related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The incident involved faulty software in the machines manufactured by Taylor, which led to malfunctions and the need for repairs. Specifically, the software contained flawed code that caused the machines to malfunction, prompting the need for a patch developed by Kytch to address the issue. Additionally, there were concerns raised about the potential impacts of the Kytch device on Taylor's software, indicating that the failure was related to factors introduced by bugs and incorrect usage at the application layer of the system.

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence basic, property, delay, non-human, other (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any deaths resulting from the software failure incident reported in the articles [117852]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - There is no mention of physical harm to individuals due to the software failure incident [117852]. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - The software failure incident impacted people's access to McFlurry ice cream at McDonald's due to the malfunctioning machines, leading to frustrations and grievances [117852]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident resulted in financial impacts as Taylor charged McDonald's $18,000 per machine for repairs, and there were allegations of copying of a device leading to loss of business for Kytch [117852]. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - The software failure incident caused delays in accessing McFlurry ice cream as the machines were often out of service, with some workers resorting to bypassing the software to make repairs [117852]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The software failure incident affected the functionality of the ice cream machines at McDonald's, leading to a significant number of them being offline [117852]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The software failure incident had observable consequences such as impacting access to McFlurry ice cream and financial implications for the companies involved [117852]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The articles do not mention any potential consequences discussed that did not occur as a result of the software failure incident [117852]. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - The software failure incident led to a legal battle between Kytch and Taylor, with allegations of copying devices and a restraining order issued against Taylor [117852].
Domain manufacturing, health (a) The failed system was intended to support the manufacturing industry. The software failure incident involved McDonald's ice cream machines, which are essential equipment for producing and serving ice cream products at their restaurants [117852].

Sources

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