My dad worked in manufacturing. There was a test run on a component that eroded and would affect the operation of an expensive weapon system. There were protocols about minimizing this impact but some erosion was inevitable.

They run an elaborate costly test for two weeks straight 24/7 and by day eight the curve on the graph had zeroed out. The next six days it didn't erode any more. This gives more than enough info to lock in effective measures to mitigate any impact.

The military liason in charge just blankly says that if you run it two more weeks the test will be twice as good. They tried explaining that no, the test is done and nothing will change.

The highly ranked officer just keeps repeating himself. So the test is run for six more weeks. The graph stays the same the whole time.

This test cost tens of thousands of dollars each day. They keep running it even though nothing changes. The lab techs are making stupid overtime in three shifts but not really complaining. Everyone just shakes their head

The officer was looking for another promotion and there was something in his past performance review about not being thorough enough. So he wants to prove that he's thorough by running a two week test for eight weeks.

He was very happy. He got his promotion. His underlings clearly knew and communicated obliquely that he was an idiot and an asshole and did this stuff a lot and just go along with it. Companies working with him made sure that everything was in writing and their objections and his instructions were crystal clear because they didn't want to get audited.