| Recurring |
one_organization |
<Article 24671> The software failure incident at Marks & Spencer's new website redesign can be categorized under the "one_organization" option. This incident occurred within the same organization as a result of the multi-million pound redesign of their website, which led to customers facing issues such as being unable to purchase items, encountering error messages, and experiencing difficulties with their virtual baskets and passwords. Customers expressed frustration and threatened to boycott the store until the old website was restored. This indicates a software failure incident that happened again within the same organization [24671]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase of the system development. The article mentions that the problems started after the company decided to revamp the website, moving the design and operation in-house and away from a tried-and-tested platform developed by Amazon. M&S spent millions of pounds building the new website with a software development team of 50 computer and design experts. The new site was the result of a three-year development program that involved two years of testing [24671].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. Users encountered issues such as items disappearing from their virtual baskets, difficulties resetting old passwords, and encountering error messages when trying to pay for products. Customers were met with an error message asking them to bear with the company due to a higher than usual number of customers, indicating operational challenges. These issues suggest contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [24671]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case was primarily within the system. The problems started after the company decided to revamp the website, moving the design and operation in-house and away from a tried-and-tested platform developed by Amazon. M&S spent millions of pounds building the new website with a software development team of 50 computer and design experts. The issues such as items disappearing from virtual baskets, difficulties with password resets, and the error message during payment were all internal to the system changes made by M&S [24671]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident occurred as a result of the company's decision to revamp the website, moving the design and operation in-house and away from a tried-and-tested platform developed by Amazon. This decision led to issues such as items disappearing from virtual baskets, customers facing difficulties with password resets, and encountering error messages during the purchasing process [24671].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident. The decision to revamp the website, the development of the new site by a team of computer and design experts, and the oversight of the project by the executive director for multi-channel e-commerce at M&S were all human actions that contributed to the failure. Additionally, customer complaints and threats to boycott the store due to the issues with the new website highlight the impact of human actions on the incident [24671]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not explicitly attributed to hardware issues. The problems with the new Marks & Spencer website, such as customers being unable to buy items, encountering error messages, items disappearing from virtual baskets, and difficulties with password resets, were primarily related to software issues [24671].
(b) The software failure incident was primarily attributed to software issues. Customers faced challenges with the new website after M&S decided to revamp it and move the design and operation in-house. The problems included error messages, disappearing items from baskets, and password reset difficulties, indicating software-related glitches rather than hardware issues [24671]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case does not seem to be malicious. It appears to be a non-malicious failure caused by the multi-million pound redesign of the Marks & Spencer website. The incident resulted in customers experiencing difficulties in purchasing items, encountering error messages, items disappearing from virtual baskets, and being asked to reset passwords. The problems arose after the company decided to revamp the website and move the design and operation in-house, away from a platform developed by Amazon. The failure was likely a result of technical issues and challenges in the redesign process rather than any malicious intent [24671]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the M&S website crash can be attributed to poor decisions made during the redesign process. The company decided to revamp the website, moving away from a tried-and-tested platform developed by Amazon and bringing the design and operation in-house. This decision led to issues such as customers facing error messages, items disappearing from virtual baskets, and difficulties with password resets [24671]. Additionally, the software development team of 50 computer and design experts spent millions of pounds on building the new website, which ultimately resulted in customer dissatisfaction and threats of boycott due to the poor user experience caused by the redesign [24671]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be related to development incompetence. The article mentions that the problems started after the company decided to revamp the website, moving the design and operation in-house after being developed by Amazon. M&S spent millions of pounds building the new website with a software development team of 50 computer and design experts. However, users faced issues such as items disappearing from their virtual baskets, difficulties with password resets, and encountering error messages during the checkout process. This indicates that the failure may have been due to factors introduced by the development team's lack of professional competence [24671].
(b) The software failure incident could also be attributed to accidental factors. Users were met with error messages, items disappeared from their virtual baskets, and some faced difficulties after being asked to reset their old passwords. These issues could have been unintentionally introduced during the revamp of the website and the transition to an in-house design and operation, leading to a negative user experience and potential loss of customers [24671]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 24671 was temporary. The article mentions that users were met with an error message asking them to 'please bear with us' and informing them that the website was experiencing a higher than usual number of customers, putting them in a queue. Additionally, customers reported issues such as items disappearing from their virtual baskets and difficulties with password resets. These issues indicate a temporary disruption rather than a permanent failure [24671]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is related to a crash. The new Marks & Spencer website crashed, leaving customers struggling to buy anything. Users were met with an error message asking them to 'please bear with us' as they experienced difficulties accessing the website [24671].
(b) omission: The software failure incident also involved omission. Customers reported that items disappeared from their virtual baskets, indicating that the system omitted to retain the selected items during the purchasing process [24671].
(c) timing: There is no specific information in the article indicating a timing-related failure where the system performed its intended functions but at the wrong time.
(d) value: The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit behaviors of inconsistency or erratic responses that would classify it as a byzantine failure.
(f) other: The software failure incident could be categorized as an overload issue where the system was unable to handle the higher than usual number of customers, leading to a crash and difficulties in accessing the website [24671]. |