Ablative Error
From Rest of What I Know
An Ablative Error is something you intentionally introduce so that it can be fixed by a process or person who needs to fix things irrespective of whether they need fixes. By providing a simple and weak target, you allow them to fulfill their inner urge while not damaging the thing that needs to be built.
People with authority do not have to employ this technique since they can simply reject 'fixes'. People without are frequently governed in large organizations by those with authority and without competence and in this case, they find this device useful.
In the illustration and animation industry, these are called hairy arms. In programming, sometimes people call it Atwood's Duck.
