Page 238 - Lean six sigma demystified

216 Lean Six Sigma DemystifieD

Software Bugs

There are two main kinds of software bugs.
1. Programming bugs. Logic errors, mathematical computation errors, and so
forth. These are harder to find and fix because you have to debug the code,
fix it, recompile it, release it, and rerun the job.
2. Data bugs. Rate table errors. These are easy to find and fix.

Clearly, every company has some kind of ordering and billing system. Rates
for products and services are loaded into rate tables that the ordering and billing
systems use. Load in the wrong rate and you could lose money because of
underpricing like CheapTickets or lost sales because of overpricing.
When I worked in the telephone company, there were thousands of rates for
telephone service and products that varied by city, county, and state due to regula-
tory requirements. All of these rates had to be kept up to date. Sometimes they
were; sometimes they weren’t. We used to rate long-distance calls by time and
distance. I’ve seen programming bugs like 2 minutes 30 seconds rounded down to
2 minutes that cost the company millions of dollars. I’ve also seen the kind of nega-
tive publicity you can generate if you try to collect the revenue you failed to bill
correctly. The press came down on the telephone company like a ton of bricks.

Mistake Proofing

How could CheapTickets have mistake-proofed their rate tables? Seems obvious
that any international fare under $300 should raise a red flag. Conversely, an
economy fare within the 48 states should not cost over $400. Could a program
be developed to analyze table updates as they happen or to analyze the tables

for these kinds of anomalies? Sure. Would it be worth it? Certainly, because
machines are more precise than people when it comes to examining data. Of
course, a programming bug in the analysis program could raise too many red
flags or ignore some obvious problems as well. Have you done everything you
can to mistake-proof your rating and billing programs? Have you put similar
safeguards in place on the purchasing side of the house?
Internet communities now make it easier than ever for huge numbers of
people to take advantage of corporate mistakes in the long minutes before you
discover the problem and correct it.
Sure there are ethical arguments about taking advantage of irrationally low
fares, but you posted them; therefore, they must be valid. It’s never the buyer’s
mistake, only the company’s. Will you honor the mistakes you make? If you