| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident has happened again at one_organization:
The software failure incident occurred within the U.S. Justice Department with its new grant management software called "JustGrants," which was built by General Dynamics. The system has been plagued by technological glitches, causing delays in funding criminal justice programs. This incident prompted an audit by the Justice Department's internal watchdog to investigate the issues with the software [Article 117731].
(b) The software failure incident has happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no information in the provided article indicating that a similar software failure incident has happened at other organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The article mentions that the Justice Department's new grant management software, JustGrants, built by General Dynamics, has been plagued by technological glitches since its launch. The system has severe technological problems that have made it hard for users to apply for grants or upload required documents, leading to delays in funding criminal justice programs [117731]. These issues indicate that the failure is primarily due to contributing factors introduced during the system development phase. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the JustGrants system developed by General Dynamics for the U.S. Justice Department was primarily due to technological glitches within the system itself. The system faced severe technological problems that made it hard for users to apply for grants or upload necessary documents, leading to delays in funding criminal justice programs [117731]. The audit by the Inspector General will review the department's transition to the JustGrants system and how it has administered its contract with General Dynamics, indicating that the issues were internal to the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is primarily attributed to non-human actions, specifically technological glitches in the grant management software known as "JustGrants" developed by General Dynamics. The system has been plagued by severe technological problems, making it difficult for users to apply for grants or upload necessary documents, leading to delays in funding criminal justice programs [117731].
(b) Human actions are also involved in addressing the software failure incident. Senator Charles Grassley called for an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, into the $115 million contract with General Dynamics to build the grant management software. This human action of initiating an audit was in response to the reported technological glitches and delays in funding criminal justice programs caused by the software [117731]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is primarily related to software issues rather than hardware. The article mentions that the Justice Department's new grant management software, JustGrants, built by General Dynamics Corp, has been plagued by technological glitches and severe technological problems. These issues have made it hard for users to apply for grants or upload required documents, leading to delays in funding criminal justice programs [117731]. The audit by the Inspector General will review the department's transition to the JustGrants system, how it has administered its contract with General Dynamics, and whether the company has complied with the contract terms and federal rules, indicating a focus on software-related issues. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The issues with the Justice Department's grant management software, JustGrants, were primarily technological glitches and problems with the system's functionality. There is no indication in the article that the failures were due to malicious intent to harm the system. The audit launched by the U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog and the concerns raised by Senator Charles Grassley focused on accountability, compliance with contract terms, and technological problems rather than any malicious actions [117731]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor decisions can be inferred from the article. The U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog launched an audit into the $115 million contract with General Dynamics to build the new grant management software, JustGrants, which has been plagued by technological glitches and caused delays in funding criminal justice programs [Article 117731]. The decision to award the contract to General Dynamics and proceed with the development of JustGrants despite the severe technological problems and delays faced by users indicates poor decision-making in the software development process. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 117731 seems to be related to development incompetence. The article mentions that the Justice Department's new grant management software, JustGrants, built by General Dynamics under a $115 million contract, has been plagued by technological glitches and severe technological problems. These issues have caused delays in funding criminal justice programs and made it hard for grant award winners to apply for grants or upload required documents, leading to months of delays in receiving funding. The audit launched by the Justice Department's internal watchdog will review the department's transition to the JustGrants system, how it has administered its contract with General Dynamics, and whether the company has complied with the contract terms and federal rules, indicating a lack of professional competence in the development and implementation of the software [117731].
(b) There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being accidental in the article. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be more of a temporary nature rather than permanent. The article mentions that the Justice Department's internal watchdog has launched an audit into the contract with General Dynamics to build the new grant management software, which has been plagued by technological glitches and caused delays in funding criminal justice programs [117731]. This indicates that the failure is due to contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances (technological glitches) rather than being permanent. Additionally, the article states that General Dynamics is working closely with the department to deliver a modernized JustGrants system, suggesting efforts are being made to address and rectify the issues [117731]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, timing, other |
(a) crash: The software incident mentioned in the article is characterized by technological glitches that have caused delays in funding criminal justice programs. The system, known as "JustGrants," has been plagued with severe technological problems, making it hard for users to apply for grants or upload required documents, leading to delays in receiving funding [Article 117731].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized under omission as users reported facing months of delays in receiving their funding due to the system's technological problems, indicating that the system omitted to perform its intended functions of efficiently processing grant applications and fund disbursements [Article 117731].
(c) timing: While the article does not explicitly mention timing issues as the primary behavior of the software failure incident, the delays in funding experienced by grant award winners due to the system's technological problems could be considered a form of timing failure. The system is not performing its intended functions of timely processing grant applications and fund disbursements, leading to delays in the overall process [Article 117731].
(d) value: The software failure incident does not directly point to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly in terms of the value provided by the software. Instead, the focus is on the technological glitches and delays in funding caused by the system's issues [Article 117731].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The primary issues mentioned in the article are related to technological glitches and delays in funding, rather than inconsistent behavior or interactions of the system [Article 117731].
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is the system's inability to effectively consolidate grants in one place and be compatible with a new government-wide payment system as originally intended. The system's technological problems have hindered users from applying for grants and uploading necessary documents, impacting the overall efficiency and functionality of the system [Article 117731]. |