CSC 379:Week 5, Group 5
Software Safety: Accident Models - Systems Theory vs. Chain of Events
Skim through the following paper (focus on sections 1, 2.3, and 3, skip figures and tables) entitled "A Systems-Theoretic Approach to Safety in Software-Intensive Systems" by Nancy G. Leveson, a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, then answer the following questions:
What are some shortcomings of traditional methods of accident reporting when applied to complex systems like software systems?
- Blame - "reports stopped after assigning blame—usually to the operators who interacted with the software—and never got to the root of why the accident occurred"
How does the STAMP model improve accident prevention efforts? Explain some general concepts of the model.
What are some appropriate applications of the STAMP model (both current and past)? Explain.
What are some ethical concerns of assigning blame for accidents?
The majority of the content you need to form an informed response to the above questions is included in the paper. Bring in outside resources and topics discussed in class lectures as appropriate to support your response.