[kw71]

Calling yourself a developer is pretty humble, today we have self taught people like me calling themselves engineers and architects. Unlike an actual engineer or architect who will face some kinds of consequences for failure, our current system is too easy on those who build and ship defects.

The closest I saw in my professional career to fixing this problem was at a shop which implemented ISO9000/TL9000 processes in such a way that anyone who signed off to approve a defect would have his career ruined. It seemed to work well for us.

Now that computers and electronics are directing and controlling processes and operations that have a potential to cause damage to life, property and economics, I think that at least certain areas of these "engineering" fields should require proof of competency before practice. We are drowning in stories about all kinds of defects from information leaks to process failures, and very few of the responsible parties have faced any consequences at all.