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The Feature Creep

Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 990

99.9% - Good Enough?

06/10/2005 8:53 AM

Most people think that anything 99.9% is good enough and is as close enough to perfect. Well here are some real world examples of what would happen if 99.9% is good enough:

315 entries in Webster's Third New International Dictionary of English Language will be misspelled.
291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly this year.
Two plane landings daily at O'Hare International Airport will be unsafe.
22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes.

So next time management tells you that something is "Good Enough" you can show them this list.

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Guru
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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Good Answers: 33
#1

Medications

06/10/2005 1:36 PM

If only 100% was good enough (e.g. zero side effects), the pharmaceutical companies would never get medications to market.

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The Feature Creep

Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 990
#2
In reply to #1

Re:Medications

06/10/2005 3:38 PM

Yes, but a drug that is only 99.9% safe will kill or make sick 1 out of every 1000 people who use it. I think it has to be more like 1 in 1,000,000 and still people die all the time from complications...

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