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August - 2006 - issue > Editor's Desk
When You Miss the Big Picture
Pradeep Shankar
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Last month, our GSLV carrying INSAT-4C communication satellite failed in its mission seconds after a perfect take off. The launch vehicle deviated from its trajectory and plunged into the Bay of Bengal. The mission failed despite some of the best brains in the country at the helm of it.

This mishap also reminds us of what happened about three years go. The space shuttle Columbia, while returning to Earth, disintegrated in the air before it was scheduled to touch down, killing all seven crew members including India’s Kalpana Chawla. The crème de la crème of the NASA were behind the making of Columbia.

As Murphy’s Law states “things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance.” Or more commonly, “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”

The same applies to the software or applications we build. When you are managing an organization or developing software, things will go wrong. There have been many examples of project delays, software engineering failures, especially in project management within our organizations.

Many a times a narrow approach to understanding the scope of a software project contributes to significant software failures. Technology professionals, especially at junior ranks, must go an extra step to get a bigger picture of what they are developing.

We at the SmartTechie always attempt to talk to technology professionals across the ranks to understand some of the mistakes they did and their learning. We could all share and learn from each other. That way, as a collective force, we deliver much better quality software that in turn will drive the economy.

Do let us know what you think.

Pradeep Shankar
editor@thesmarttechie.com
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