The Post Office Scandal: The Intellectual Inadequates at Post Office Limited: James Christie

James Christie, after starting his career working as an accountant, has a lifetime's experience of software testing, IT audit, IT security and IT development.
He explains very well known, key features of the behaviour of complex software systems that were clearly not understood by Post Office Limited (POL) and not adequately explained (and possibly deliberately concealed) by Fujitsu. Gross but complacent ignorance about IT functioning permeated POL, from induction and training of subpostmasters, through the investigation, audit and legal teams right up to Board level.
Ignorance about IT systems was compounded by an equally complacent ignorance about statistics and the risk of 'rare' errors causing catastrophic effects for individual subpostmasters.
James describes the kind of effort needed to understand errors in complex IT installations and makes it clear that not the slightest effort was made to understand or resolve the problems experienced by subpostmasters. No meaningful investigation or audit was undertaken.
Shockingly, a similar ignorance and lack of curiosity about both IT and statistics was shown by the judiciary and by both prosecution and defence barristers.
James' blog: clarotesting.w...
Twitter: @james_christie

[@sylvialarrad516]

I am amazed that a small village Post Office would handle so much cash ! I realise cash would be paid out …but not so much paid in ? To have your till out by so much ! maybe you don’t have a record of each individual transaction (like an itemised till receipt you get from Tesco) like …….£120 paid out to Mrs Crumpet her pension. £200 paid in by Mr Lion for car tax.