Fix Your Bugs!

The early World War I fighter planes had machine guns mounted above the fuselage.  They fired right through the spinning propeller.  That worked most of the time, but occasionally cut the propeller right in two!  I’d call that a bug.

I’ve learned over the years to fix my bugs quickly.  As soon as they are discovered.  Leaving unfixed bugs in a product can result in some nasty consequences.

Suppose you’ve got a small bug that bothers a few smaller customers.  It may not cost you anything in lost sales.  Most people can live with it.  But then along comes a big demanding customer.  When he sees it, maybe along with a few others, he freaks out and decides not to purchase.  You just lost a great sale because of one little bug.  A bug you could have easily fixed.

Moral of the story: don’t cut your propeller in half.

–ray

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