single points of failure
System-critical weak links
Single points of failure are components in a system whose failure would cause the entire system to stop working.
The term comes from engineering and computing, where redundancy eliminates such vulnerabilities: The backup generator ensures the power supply isn't a single point of failure.
The concept extends to organizations and processes—a company dependent on one key employee has a single point of failure.
- lynchpinEssential cohesive component
- weak linkLeast reliable component
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- cascade effectSequential chain of consequences
- malfunctionFailure to operate properly
vulnerability · backup plan · bottleneck · risk · survivability · weakness · house of cards · collapse · system crash · criticality · dependencies · mission critical · chokepoint · checkpointing · disruption · hazards · Achilles heel · denial of service
single points of failurefault tolerance
System continues despite failures
redundancy · redundant systems · graceful degradation · backup systems · load balancing
single points of failurecross-training
Multi-activity fitness approach
succession planning · knowledge sharing · collective ownership · flat hierarchy · shared responsibility
single, singly, singular, singularity, singularly, singles, singled, singling, singleton