Tell me about a time you shipped a bug and how you recovered

Question

Use the STAR method to answer. Be specific about the situation at Grubhub, your actions, and measurable outcomes.

Codemia · Accepted Answer

The interviewer is assessing your ability to handle setbacks, particularly in a software development context. This includes demonstrating a growth mindset, ability to recover from mistakes, and how you manage cross-functional collaboration during crises. They want to see evidence of your leadership skills, even when you don't have formal authority.

1. **Situation**: Briefly describe the project and the bug that was shipped. 2. **Task**: Explain your role in the project and the impact of the bug. 3. **Actions**: Detail the steps you took to address the issue, including collaboration with teams and any leadership actions you undertook. 4. **Outcome**: Share the measurable results of your recovery efforts and what you learned.

In my role at Grubhub, we were launching a significant update to our mobile app that included a new feature allowing users to track their orders in real-time. Just before the launch, I discovered a bug that caused the app to crash under heavy load. As the lead on this project, I quickly organized a meeting with the QA team and the mobile development team. We prioritized the bug fix and implemented an immediate patch. I coordinated our efforts, ensuring clear communication across teams. After the patch was deployed, I monitored the app's performance and tracked user feedback. As a result, we not only fixed the crash issue within 48 hours but also saw a 30% increase in user satisfaction scores post-launch. This experience taught me the importance of rapid response and cross-team collaboration in crisis management.

The interviewer wants to hear about a specific incident where you took ownership of the problem, demonstrated leadership, and effectively collaborated with others to resolve the issue. They are looking for quantifiable results, like improvements in user satisfaction or app performance. The candidate should also reflect on what they learned and how they applied those lessons to future projects.

1. Failing to take ownership: Blaming others for the bug rather than showing personal responsibility. 2. Lack of detail: Providing vague answers without specifics about the actions taken or the impact of those actions. 3. Ignoring the learning aspect: Not reflecting on what was learned from the experience or how it influenced future work. 4. Overemphasizing the negative: Focusing too much on the bug instead of the successful recovery and positive outcomes.

Tell me about a time you shipped a bug and how you recovered

Grubhub

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