Bugs are all part of the process
I’ve been developing software since we fed punch cards into computers. In that time, I’ve seen every kind of bug and defect there is. Clients sometimes worry when they come across one, but the truth is that bugs are normal. They’re not failures. They’re part of how software grows stronger.
At Spiral, we use Agile and Scrum methods. Bugs are expected, managed, and fixed as part of the agile cycle. Each sprint produces a working version of the software that is tested, reviewed, and improved. This approach mirrors the model of Platform Trials, where iteration and evidence drive progress, not perfection on the first attempt.
Bugs can appear at any stage: in requirements, where gaps or ambiguity later reveal themselves; in design, where complexity can cause unexpected behaviour; in development, where even the best coder might overlook a detail; in testing, when features interact in surprising ways; and in deployment, where real-world use always uncovers something new. After thirty years in this field, I can say with confidence that every project has bugs. What matters is not their existence, but how you deal with them.
Agile is built for this. Each sprint includes time to address what’s been found. Feedback is continuous, so the product gets stronger with every cycle. Even issues discovered after deployment aren’t setbacks—they simply become the starting point for the next iteration. Every bug fixed leaves the system more reliable than it was before.
That’s why I don’t see bugs as obstacles. They don’t derail progress; they drive it. Each one is an opportunity to refine, strengthen, and improve the software. Over time, this produces systems that are safer, more resilient, and better for the people who use them. Bugs are not mistakes in the process—they are part of the process.
I sometimes think of it in gardening terms. Sometimes the soil is too damp, or the sun doesn’t reach far enough, or there’s a weed. That’s an issue (a bug), but it doesn’t stop the garden from growing—it just shapes how you care for it. It appears naturally, and resolving it is simply part of keeping things healthy. A bug doesn’t mean the whole garden has failed—only that something needs extra care, or a change in approach.
Diagnosing the cause isn’t always simple, in software and in gardens. It could be unexpected user behaviour, environmental mismatches, overflow errors or filter blocks, to name a few.
In the garden the soil, a disease, or even a new tree competing for water and light could be the issue. But each discovery teaches you something new and leaves us with a stronger, more resilient garden. That’s exactly how we treat bugs in software.
Some unexpected bugs from history
NASA’s metric mix-up – The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost in 1999 because one team used metric units and another used imperial. A serious outcome, but now a textbook example of why consistency matters. Perhaps this is why specifications need to be very detailed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter
The “Year 2000 bug” (Y2K) – Widespread fear (and some real issues) caused by two-digit year formats rolling over from “99” to “00”. The lesson here is to plan for he long term when designing software.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem
Pentium FDIV bug (1994) – Intel’s 1994 processors occasionally gave the wrong answer for division, but only in rare cases. Most people never noticed — except mathematicians, who weren’t amused.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_FDIV_bug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating-point_error_mitigation
“Ctrl-Alt-Del” as a feature – Originally a developer shortcut, Bill Gates said was never meant for users, it became one of the most famous “accidental features” in computing history. Ctrl-Alt-Del isn’t a bug; it began as a developer shortcut that went mainstream. (Fun fact, but not a bug.)
