The Spaghetti Factor limits the vision of anyone attempting to analyze the true functional nature of a system. In large systems with numerous functions, the complexity of the system becomes extremely large for the system integrators to understand all the details. The information supplied to the integrator is organized for manufacturing purposes, which hampers understanding of the complete behavior of the system. The manufacturing data not depicted in a functional form since it is organized more mechanically for building the product. Also, because with the use of more commercial, off-the-shelf products, the system design usually performed by many contractors or design teams in different locations in different time frames. Since other design teams are involved, the data is depicted in each team’s format further confusing the issue. Attempting to paste all this information together in the formats provided to examine a system function leads to the Spaghetti factor.

The Tunnel Vision Factor further decreases the vision for an analysis of the system functions. Tunnel Vision occurs when the design/documentation is split across multiple contractors or departments that creates a situation where one contractor/department does not see the entire picture. Changes or design improvements not easily communicated between the teams. With today’s limited budgets, each design team is forced into an apathetic or protectionist mode, building their portion of the system to only meet the requirements, not to exceed them with little or no consideration to integrating their piece into the larger whole. One team may feel that it is not their responsibility to report or fix another team’s problems while time and monetary resources limit the team communications.

Now we add the Human Factor to all of this. This involves a people interpreting the same design specifications and interface description documents different between design teams. IDA has discovered that the lack of understanding of another team’s product can produce confusing labels on control panels, indicators that may not provide actual system status, confusing operational procedures, and anomalous behavior of the system’s outputs.

When we add Murphy’s Law to these factors, we see why so many products, even the simple ones, have problems from the first day they are sold.

IDA’s Network Tree methodology eliminates these factors by rebuilding your data into our Baseline Analysis Tools (BAT).