January 2, 2013

Perhaps They Should Have Tested More in 2012



2012 saw more "interesting" bugs show up in the news.  Perhaps these companies should have tested more?


A system designed to help Mitt Romney volunteers record who voted, and to identify those who hadn't for follow-up, apparently failed miserably. It probably didn't cost Romney the election.
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Romney Project Orca
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/11/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html

When Apple released its new iOS 6 software update, they chose to replace Google Maps with Apple Maps. Hilarity, unhappy users, and a VP firing, ensued. copyrightjoestrazzere
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Apple iOS 6 Maps
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/09/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html

Knight Capital rolled out a change to its trading software - and in the process lost $440 million. Knight's logo refers to them as "The Science of Trading. The Standard of Trust."
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Knight Capital
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/08/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html

When accounts were transferred from LaSalle Bank to Bank of America, a software bug allowed a man to withdraw $1,543,104 more than he owned. He gambled the money away.
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Bank Of America
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/06/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html

In a precursor of bugs to come, the Mitt Romney campaign released a new iPhone app titled "A Better Amercia". Hey, it was only a minor typo, right?
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Mitt Romney Campaign
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/05/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more_30.html

When Facebook went public in May, NASDAQ's IPO system went loopy even after "thousands of hours" of testing. Maybe thousands and one would have done the trick.
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Nasdaq
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/05/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html

On February 29th, Windows Azure experienced about 8 hours of downtime, demonstrating that Microsoft still hasn't quite got the hang of this whole Leap Day thing. Maybe next time.
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Windows Azure
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/03/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html

The Russian Mars probe Phobos-Grunt crashed back to Earth in January, after a programming error forced it into "safe mode". Oh well - a paltry budget of $165 million apparently doesn't allow for much testing.
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Russian Space Agency
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/02/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html

The company founder of Fisker Automotive personally called every owner to apologize for bugs in the software controls of their electric "Karma" sedan. It was the second time in two months Fisker cars were recalled. "Hello? Yes, this is Henrick again..." 
Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - Fisker Automotive
http://www.allthingsquality.com/2012/01/perhaps-they-should-have-tested-more.html


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://AllThingsQuality.com/.

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