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The sport of modern technical rock climbing has some important similarities with software development. They are both demanding technical disciplines, often performed under pressure, where even a trivial mistake may have profound consequences. This paper will examine the quality assurance activities undertaken by rock climbers and consider the implications for software developers.
Dr. John Dalbey is an experienced rock climber and wilderness guide and leads mountaineering courses for Outward Bound. He is also on the Computer Science faculty at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, where he teaches software engineering.