Published Date: 2012-12-26
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident involving the Astute class boats, including issues such as design faults, technical problems, flaws in construction, equipment breakdowns, and propulsion problems, occurred over a period of time during the testing and sea trials of the submarines [Article 55452]. 2. The specific date of the software failure incident is not mentioned in the article. Therefore, the timeline of the software failure incident cannot be estimated accurately based on the information provided. Hence, the answer is 'unknown'. |
| System | unknown |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Design faults, technical problems, and flaws in construction of the Astute class boats [Article 55452] |
| Impacted Organization | 1. The Royal Navy's submarine programme [Article 55452] |
| Software Causes | Unknown |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Design faults, technical problems, and flaws in construction of the Astute class boats [Article 55452] 2. Equipment breakdowns [Article 55452] 3. Problems related to poor construction at the shipyard [Article 55452] 4. Delays and overspends in the programme [Article 55452] 5. Issues with important cables controlling Astute's sonar [Article 55452] 6. Propulsion problems preventing the submarines from reaching or exceeding the expected speed [Article 55452] |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident in the Astute class submarines led to delays and overspends in the programme commissioned 15 years ago, hindering its progress [Article 55452]. 2. The incident caused embarrassment in 2010 when one of the submarines was grounded off Scotland, leading to the removal of the commander [Article 55452]. 3. The submarines experienced various issues such as leaks, internal corrosion, equipment and material quality problems, propulsion problems preventing them from reaching the expected speed, and problems with important cables controlling sonar [Article 55452]. 4. The software failure incident required emergency surfacing of the submarines and the need for upgrades like equipping them with an electronic chart system [Article 55452]. |
| Preventions | 1. Thorough design review and testing: Conducting a more comprehensive design review and testing phase could have potentially identified and addressed the flaws in the design and construction of the Astute class boats before they entered service [Article 55452]. 2. Improved quality control: Implementing stricter quality control measures during the construction process could have helped prevent issues such as equipment breakdowns, poor construction, and the use of incorrect materials [Article 55452]. 3. Enhanced communication and transparency: Ensuring clear communication and transparency within the project team and with stakeholders, including being cautious about making public statements regarding the capabilities of the submarines, could have prevented misconceptions and mismanagement of expectations [Article 55452]. |
| Fixes | 1. Conducting thorough testing and identifying flaws in design, equipment, and construction during the testing phase to address issues before deployment [Article 55452]. 2. Implementing modifications and improvements based on lessons learned from the initial software failure incident to prevent similar issues in future deployments [Article 55452]. 3. Prioritizing safety over schedule to ensure that any necessary adjustments or learning processes do not compromise the quality and reliability of the software [Article 55452]. | References | 1. Admiral Simon Lister, head of the Royal Navy's submarine programme [Article 55452] 2. Ministry of Defence (MoD) [Article 55452] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | unknown | The articles do not mention any specific software failure incident related to either one_organization or multiple_organization. Therefore, the information regarding the software failure incident happening again at a specific organization or across multiple organizations is unknown. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the development phases, whether in the design or operation of the system. Therefore, it is unknown whether there were any software failures specifically attributed to the development phases in the reported incidents. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the boundary of the failure being within the system or outside the system. Therefore, the information to determine whether the failure was within_system or outside_system is unknown. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to non-human actions or human actions. Therefore, the information regarding the software failure incident in relation to these categories is unknown. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | unknown | (a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to hardware issues. (b) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to software issues. Therefore, based on the provided articles, there is no information available regarding software failure incidents related to hardware or software issues. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to either a malicious or non-malicious objective. Therefore, the information regarding the software failure incident objective is unknown. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to poor decisions or accidental decisions. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence or accidental factors. |
| Duration | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the duration of the failure being permanent or temporary. Therefore, the information to answer this question is 'unknown'. |
| Behaviour | other | (a) crash: The articles do not mention any specific software crash incidents related to the Astute class submarines. [Article 55452] (b) omission: The articles do not mention any specific instances of software omission related to the Astute class submarines. [Article 55452] (c) timing: The articles do not mention any specific instances of software timing issues related to the Astute class submarines. [Article 55452] (d) value: The articles do not mention any specific instances of software value-related failures related to the Astute class submarines. [Article 55452] (e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any specific instances of byzantine behavior related to the software of the Astute class submarines. [Article 55452] (f) other: The software-related issues mentioned in the articles primarily focus on design faults, technical problems, flaws in construction, equipment breakdowns, and poor construction at the shipyard. There is no specific mention of software failures in terms of behavior such as erratic responses, inconsistent interactions, or other unusual behaviors. [Article 55452] |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | no_consequence | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, delay, non-human impact, or theoretical consequences. There is no specific mention of any consequences resulting from a software failure incident in the provided article [55452]. |
| Domain | government | The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to the defense industry. The incident specifically involves the Royal Navy's Astute class submarines, which are part of the military's submarine program [Article 55452]. The articles discuss design faults, technical problems, flaws in construction, and various issues faced during the testing and deployment of the submarines. The software failure incident is part of a broader set of challenges and issues encountered in the development and operation of these advanced naval vessels within the defense sector. |
Article ID: 55452