Buzz
In Mike Judge's iconic film Office Space, the insufferable Lumbergh, a smug boss with French cuffs, condescendingly scolds Peter for neglecting to submit his TPS reports with a cover sheet. That memorable moment helped popularize the term "TPS report", which has since become synonymous with dull, repetitive tasks. It's appeared in advertisements, songs, video games, and beyond.
But what is a TPS report, really?
As reported by Rolling Stone, Judge was once asked about this during a 10th Anniversary screening of Office Space. His response was, "When I worked as an engineer, it stood for Test Program Set. Exciting, right?" A Test Program Set is a detailed document outlining the procedure for testing and retesting software or electronic systems. Before making his mark with Beavis and Butt-Head, Mike Judge studied physics and worked as an engineer and programmer for a subcontractor developing military jets. In short, he filled out his fair share of TPS reports.
"TPS" can also stand for "Testing Procedure Specification," which is a similar form of documentation, painstakingly created and defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). (Its official document number is IEEE 829.)
Here’s an example of a real-world military TPS Report specification, complete with the coversheet and all. Go ahead, dive in and experience the thrill of bureaucracy, just like in the movies. Yeeeaaaaaaah...
