Standard Reliability Methods
Abstract
Dianna and Fred discuss the importance of standard reliability methods within a company, to ensure teams are using effective, proven techniques rather than just following a generic recipe.
Key Points
Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss standard reliability methods.
Topics include:
- Internal “Cliffnotes” for Reliability: the value of creating short, company-specific touchstones for methods like FMEA, HALT, and derating
- Principles Over Prescriptions: why rigid international standards can sometimes lead to “check the box” bureaucracy, while internal best practices focus on the core engineering principlesÂ
- The Evolution of Guidelines: the necessary process of auditing reliability manualsÂ
- Leveraging What Works: capturing the practices of high-performing teams creates a trainable asset that can be shared across the company to consistently produce reliable products.
Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.
Show Notes
In this episode, Fred and Dianna explore the “New Year” habit of getting organized. But, they apply it to the technical world of reliability engineering.
They discuss the immense value of creating a common touchstone for an org: a “cliffnotes” version of a Design for Reliability manual. This manual outlines how a specific company approaches FMEAs, derating, and environmental testing. Capturing what historically worked for internal teams, a company can create a “trainable asset”. Using it for training ensures all engineers are speaking the same language and following a consistent framework for decision-making.
The hosts distinguish between these internal best practices and the more rigid Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Highly regulated industries use SOPs. For example, medical systems often require months of scrutiny and pre-approved test plans. Exploratory R&D work benefits from a more fluid approach, where engineers are free to break products to uncover weaknesses.
Fred and Dianna caution against following international standards too prescriptively. When authors write process docs with “shalls” and audit-friendly checklists, the original objective can get lost in thousands of pages of bureaucracy.
Ultimately, a set of standard reliability methods must stay fluid to remain relevant. The hosts emphasize the importance of auditing these guidelines every few years. Drop obsolete technology, remove irrelevant requirements like “milspec” for commercial products, and update examples to match modern product lines.
Focus on the principles and capture what actually works for the specific team and product type. Doing this, reliability engineers can provide significant leverage across an organization. Ultimately, this ensures that best practices are consistently applied to yield reliable results.
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