Software Runaways: Monumental Software Disasters

Failure often teaches more than success. This book shows what went wrong in 16 of the worst software disasters of recent years -- and shows how to prevent your own software disasters. Software failure expert Robert Glass reviews the major software disasters of the past decade, including both widely-publicized and less well-known fiascoes. He identifies six characteristics of impending failure, including elements rarely discussed in other software engineering texts, such as the overdependence on new technology and the failure to adequately consider performance issues. Among the failures Glass discusses are: the FAA's Air Traffic Control System; American Airlines' Confirm; and Bank of America's MasterNet. Most important, Glass presents specific lessons to be learned from each of these failures, so your software project won't show up on the nightly news. All software project managers, IS senior management, developers, and other software professionals.