40 years after Challenger, systems still fail the same way: quietly, through accepted deviations.
Most systems don’t fail because of a single bad decision.They fail because small compromises stop being questioned.The Challenger disaster wasn’t caused by a sudden malfunction. It was the result of repeated deviations that slowly became acceptable. Over time, “temporary” decisions turned into standards—and standards turned into risk.That same pattern shows up today in modern systems, especially as organizations move faster, automate more, and tolerate small inconsistencies to keep momentum. What feels harmless in the moment quietly accumulates cost, complexity, and exposure.
