| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has happened again within the same organization. The MoD wasted millions of pounds on a botched computer system for the recruitment partnering project, which was almost two years behind schedule and faced serious problems. The MoD was considering spending nearly £50m on a new solution due to the issues with the IT system [23586].
(b) There is no specific mention in the provided article about the software failure incident happening again at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article. The Ministry of Defence's botched computer system for the recruitment partnering project was plagued by problems stemming from the initial design decisions. The project management team was criticized for being inexperienced and under-resourced, leading to the selection of the wrong bidder to build the IT system. Additionally, the army failed to take charge when delays started and lacked a suitable contingency plan, further exacerbating the design-related issues [23586].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also highlighted in the article. The MoD acknowledged problems with the army and Capita recruitment partnership, indicating issues with the operation or misuse of the system. The need for work-arounds and mitigation measures to the old IT platform to simplify the application process suggests operational challenges that needed to be addressed [23586]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Ministry of Defence's botched computer system for recruitment was primarily within the system. The failure was attributed to factors such as picking the wrong bidder to build the IT system, inexperienced and under-resourced project management team, failure to challenge MoD policies favoring less suitable offers, and lack of a suitable contingency plan [23586]. These internal factors led to delays, additional costs, and the need to consider spending a significant amount on a new IT solution. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Ministry of Defence's recruitment partnering project was primarily due to non-human actions. The failure was attributed to factors such as the project management team being inexperienced and under-resourced, the army failing to take charge when delays started, and the wrong bidder being selected to build the IT system [23586]. These issues led to significant delays, cost overruns, and the need to consider spending additional funds on a new IT solution.
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident. The leaked documents revealed that the army's recruitment wing picked the wrong bidder to build the IT system after failing to challenge an MoD policy that favored the less suitable offer. Additionally, the shadow defence secretary criticized the government for not addressing the IT problems and Capita's performance despite warnings and pressing ahead with the project [23586]. These human actions contributed to the failure of the project and the subsequent need for corrective measures. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article mentions that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) wasted millions of pounds on a botched computer system for the recruitment partnering project. The project faced serious problems, and the defense secretary was considering spending nearly £50m on a new solution [23586].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The failure of the recruitment partnering project's computer system was attributed to various software-related issues. The project management team was inexperienced and under-resourced, the army failed to take charge when delays started, and the army's recruitment wing picked the wrong bidder to build the IT system [23586]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Ministry of Defence's botched computer system for recruitment partnering project was non-malicious. The failure was attributed to various factors such as picking the wrong bidder to build the IT system, inexperienced and under-resourced project management team, failure to challenge MoD policies, delays in implementing contingency plans, and overall mismanagement of the project [23586]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the recruitment partnering project by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was primarily due to poor decisions. The project faced issues because the army's recruitment wing selected the wrong bidder to build the IT system after failing to challenge an MoD policy that favored the less suitable offer [23586]. Additionally, the project management team was inexperienced and under-resourced, and the army failed to take charge when delays started and put in a suitable contingency plan [23586]. The MoD was considering spending nearly £50m on a new solution due to the serious problems with the current system [23586]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the Ministry of Defence's recruitment partnering project was partly attributed to development incompetence. The project management team was described as inexperienced and under-resourced, and the army failed to take charge when delays started, lacking a suitable contingency plan [23586].
(b) The software failure incident also had accidental contributing factors. The army's recruitment wing selected the wrong bidder to build the IT system after failing to challenge an MoD policy that favored the less suitable offer. This decision was described as a mistake that led to serious problems with the computer system [23586]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be more of a temporary nature rather than permanent. The articles mention that the recruitment partnering project is almost two years behind schedule and will not be fully operational until April 2015 at the earliest [23586]. Additionally, there are discussions about implementing work-arounds and mitigation measures to the old IT platform to simplify the application process in the short term while a new IT platform is being built for the medium-term [23586]. These actions indicate that the software failure is being addressed and there are plans in place to rectify the issues, suggesting a temporary nature of the failure. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in this case can be attributed to a crash as the system was not fully operational and was behind schedule, leading to the consideration of building a new IT platform to address the serious problems [23586].
(b) omission: The software failure incident also involved omission as the system failed to recruit online as intended, leading to delays and additional costs until the IT problem was resolved [23586].
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident was also a factor as the system was not fully operational until April 2015 at the earliest, causing delays and impacting recruitment goals [23586].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be linked to a value failure as the system was not performing its intended functions correctly, prompting the consideration of scrapping the flawed IT system and paying for a new IT platform [23586].
(e) byzantine: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident exhibiting a byzantine behavior with inconsistent responses and interactions in the provided article.
(f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized under "other" as it involved a combination of issues such as selecting the wrong bidder, inexperienced project management, under-resourced team, failure to challenge MoD policies, and the need for a new IT platform to address the serious problems [23586]. |