guide:truck-factor [~wiki]

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====== Bus Factor ======

The bus factor is a measure of how many project members could die in a bus accident before the project becomes irreparably endangered. Since an exact calculation is often not possible, the bus factor for each project should be determined through logical reasoning.

**A bus factor of 1 – meaning a single/specific person would have to leave the project for it to fail – must be avoided at all costs!**

===== Guiding Question =====

> How many people would have to be run over by a truck (or leave the project) before the project is crippled?

===== Areas Where the Bus Factor Is Critical for a Company =====

  * Backups
  * Passwords
  * Knowledge of computer systems
  * Knowledge of inventory/ERP systems
  * Keys and PINs for physical access to company resources

===== Possible Countermeasures =====

The most effective method for mitigating the bus factor is documentation. If all business processes are stored in a wiki or another documentation system, they can simply be looked up when needed.

Of course, access rules should also be adjusted so that potential stand-ins for the person "hit by the bus" have direct access to the necessary rooms, files, or computer systems.

===== See Also =====

  * [[https://wiki.c2.com/?TruckNumber|WikiWikiWeb: Truck Number]]
  * [[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck_Number|Wikipedia: Truck Number]]
  * [[:dev:hero|Hero Developers]] and [[:admin:hero|Hero Admins]]