Mean Time Between Stupidity
By Jake Allen
Is it just me or has there been very few security contractor related news stories over these past few weeks? I am not complaining mind you, actually it’s quite nice to have the industry off the front pages, the blogs, C-SPAN and the nightly news. It makes you wonder how long we can keep it that way.
Matt at Feral Jundi is often talking about the application of quality systems in a manufacturing environment and how they can be useful in our own industry. This got me to thinking about a tool called Mean Time Between Failures or MTBF. Basically it’s a way of measuring the time that transpires between a system failure. It’s useful when looking at machinery for example to measure how many hours, days or months transpire between breakdowns. An low MTBF is indicative of a system which is not functioning properly. Conversely, a high MTBF is good because it illustrates that you can have long runs between breakdowns.
Here’s how the calculation works: If for example you have a system that runs for 15 days then fails, runs again for 10 days…fails, 5 days…fails. Then you would have a mean (average) time between failures of 10 days. (15 + 10 + 5 = 30 divided by 3 =10).
It might be useful to see how long our industry can go without a significant event which draws a lot of negative attention. Of course we don’t live or work in isolation, and there is an active insurgency bent on attacking and killing our members, that of course we have little control over. But we do have control over our own self inflicted wounds such as the Danny Fitzsimons case.
Bottom line gang is keep up the good work, take it one day at a time and police each other. It only takes one stupid event to bring the heat down on everyone. Focus on the mission, provide a quality service and avoid you are likely to avoid any headlines. This is the recipe for longevity in this business.
October 21st, 2009 at 4:23 PM
I like it. Yeah, I feel the same way too. The devil is in the details, and eventually companies will understand this concept. The health of a company needs constant attention and work, or Kaizen, and anything less is pure ‘marshmallow eater’ material in my book.
And for those that are reading this, and have no clue as to what I am talking about, just watch this video. It’s funny, but it isn’t. These kids in the video, and basically metaphors for the companies out there.
The Marshmallow Experiment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0oPuAO3M8c
The other video the reader needs to watch, is in regards to what makes good people go bad. Basically, if you have a company full of marshmallow eaters or bad actors, you are in trouble. (AGNA in Kabul, or the Fitzsimons case comes to mind) Companies need to care what is going on with their contracts out there, and understand that eradicating any and all diseased flesh (bad employees or leaders) is essential. Most importantly, companies need to promote what good leadership is and do all they can to take care of their people.
Philip Zimbardo: Why ordinary people do evil … or do good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsFEV35tWsg&feature=related