Removing The Mouse Story

In the Yahoo XP group, we were talking about how placing blame for a bug can interfere with tracking down and fixing the bug. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/extremeprogramming/message/45113)

So I said the following, along with "the mouse story:"

We produce software that contains bugs.
Our customers find (hopefully very few) bugs.
That the bugs are there really is our fault.

*** BUT ***

If the customer wants the bugs removed quickly and effectively, the best strategy they can pursue is to work with us, in a partnership to track down and remove the bugs. Playing "the blame game" may make them feel good and earn them political "points" -- but an uncooperative, hostile, "blaming" approach withholds valuable information that can be used to most quickly solve the problem for everyone involved.

Story Time:

Say I see a mouse in my office (the furry rodent kind), and run screaming out into the hallway. I call the building manager and demand that they send someone up to find and remove said mouse. He asks which office contains the mouse and asks that I close the door to keep the mouse in a confined space. "The mouse isn't my problem!" I say, "I'm paying good money for a mouse-free office space and it's your responsibility (not mine) to make that happen."

Because I refused to tell the building manager even what floor I was on, they have to search the whole building. Even if they could figure out what office I had been in, my refusal to close the door may have let the mouse out, and it could be anywhere in the area. My withholding of information and refusal to mitigate the damage increases the costs and delays of mouse removal, and reduces the chance of its success.

Sure it "isn't my fault" that the mouse was there. Sure it "is the building manager's fault" for letting a mouse in and for failing to remove it quickly and efficiently. But if I *really wanted the mouse gone*, my most effective strategy would have been to confine the mouse in the office, and direct the effort to that office - for most quick and efficient mouse finding and removal.

If I am doing something else, I must value something else over removal of the mouse.

Alternative solution: introduce cat.

So, in the context of finding and fixing bugs, what is the equivalent of the cat?

Fixing the bug yourself?

Maybe the story would have been funnier if 'mouse' were replaced by 'bug' (6-legged, a large disgusting one).

Suppose a customer says to a software company: I bought your software and I have found a bug. These two components do not work together properly, it fails to work like this. with an example.

Software company: It is your fault, or in the book you are working from.

Later: I have found a reference to this on your web site. I am reporting it as the software told me to when it broke.

Software company: As you bought it in the U.K. you should not report it to us but to the person you bought from.

Customer: But the error message from the software said to send it to you.

Software company: The software message was wrong. Send it to your supplier.

Note: The U.K. Supplier mainly sells books and does not understand the problem, and is giving up selling the software anyway.

(Later) Customer says: I have found the reason for the problem and here is a workaround.

Software company: There is no problem. These two components were not intended to work together at all. and changes the web site to remove all reference to any problem.

Customer decides never to buy software again from these dishonest people.

The mouse remains in the software.