How did it make sense? Ep 14. Colette Alexander - What could go wrong if we don't test ALL of the code?
If we don’t test all the code, entire global systems can go down—and it’s not as simple as it seems.
In this episode I speak with Colette Alexander, Director of Site Reliability Engineering at HashiCorp, about software failures, risk in software testing, and resilience in engineering. They dive deep into the CrowdStrike outage, exploring why skipping tests in software releases can have catastrophic effects. But it’s not just about a software company making a bad call—it's about the trade-off between speed and safety, how software engineers balance risk, and why testing everything isn’t always an option.
Colette shares insights from the world of site reliability engineering (SRE), drawing parallels with aviation, space disasters like Challenger, and even the psychology of teamwork in rock bands. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in software development, DevOps, cybersecurity, or engineering leadership who wants to understand the real-world impact of software testing decisions.
Topics Covered:
✔ The CrowdStrike outage: What went wrong?
✔ The hidden risks of incomplete software testing
✔ How software engineers balance speed, security, and resilience
✔ The psychological and organizational pressures behind failures
✔ Lessons from music, space disasters, and high-risk industries
Resources Recommended:
- How Complex Systems Fail – Richard Cook
- Mission Improbable: Using Fantasy Documents to Tame Disaster – Lee Clarke
- Fantasy Documents and Disaster: A Case Study of the Long Island Nuclear Plant – Lee Clarke & Charles Perrow
- Beyond Blame: Learning From Failure and Success – Dave Zwieback
Find Colette Here:
- Podcast: This Is Fine
- Podcast Website: thisisfinepod.com
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