"Don't let these disasters happen to you: A pox on modern engineering"

If you have not seen the two part series Don't let these disasters happen to you: A pox on modern engineering by Lewin A.R.W. Edwards, from 2006, on IBM's Developer Works, you should check it out:

Part 1
Part 2

• It's no longer possible to build any practical device that doesn't rely on patented technology
• System complexity issues
• Sustained high production volume from an established vendor is not, by itself, a guarantee of quality
• Requirements that are not driven by engineering goals are constantly injected into the design process
• Purchasing and engineering are frequently separated
• Modern components are designed for modern mass-production techniques
• Service information is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain and less useful when you do manage to find it
• The feedback loop between customers and engineering is often nonexistent today