Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
Carl and Fred discussing how the approach to achieving high reliability needs to change when operating in a fast-to-market product development process.
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“. . . not everything that can be counted counts” Albert Einstein
A key, but often missed, step in FMEA preparation is to identify and prioritize the functions that relate to the item being analyzed. These become candidate functions to be brought into the FMEA.
When creating a robust design, there is probably no more important consideration than identifying the correct parameters and associated values. A robust design is insensitive to anticipated variation and P-Diagram visually shows the relationship between what the system is designed to do, the anticipated noises the system will encounter and the correct parameters to achieve the desired outcome. P-Diagram can be an essential input to FMEA.
“Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.” Albert Einstein
Carl and Fred discussing the pitfalls of using Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) as a metric for identifying reliability requirements.
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Carl and Fred discussing the subject of reliability allocation, how it is used and some of the pitfalls in application.
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Carl and Fred discuss the approach to building quality and reliability programs. Is it better to implement a disciplined approach or a more collaborative approach?
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Carl and Fred discussing how dependent we all have become on a multitude of devices to do our daily work, and the ramifications on our daily lives.
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Once you have identified the scope of the FMEA project, made the scope visible, it is time identify the FMEA team members. This article discusses the composition of the FMEA team, including why each member is needed, and the underlying reason for a cross-functional team.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller
Carl and Chris discussing the subjects of reliability engineering and reliability management. Are they generally the same subject with different focus areas, or are they based on entirely different bodies of knowledge?
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FMEA teams should agree to the ground rules that guide the analysis and the underlying assumptions that impact the entire FMEA. Failure to do so will add complexity and confusion to the resulting FMEA, and waste people’s time. Don’t miss this important step in FMEA preparation.
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” Isaac Asimov
Carl and Fred continue discussing the subject of teaching reliability. This episode builds on SOR 390 Reliability Engineers as Good Teachers.
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Carl and Fred discussing some of the finer points of teaching the subject of reliability.
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Before commencing with the FMEA meetings, it is essential to visibly show the nature and scope of the analysis. This article discusses different ways FMEA scope can be made visible, and why this is a necessary step.
“The soul cannot think without a picture” – Aristotle
Carl and Fred discussing the role of certifications and degrees in forming the career path of a reliability engineer. This discussion builds off the previous podcast on the ultimate goal of a reliability career.
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Carl and Fred discuss a suggested topic from a listener: what is the ultimate career goal for a reliability engineer? Which are the advantages and disadvantages for each possible career path?
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