Fundamentals of Sample Size Determination podcast episode A common question about reliability testing is, “What is the sample size?” It is also a difficult question to answer well. The right sample size balances cost, accuracy, and variability. In some cases, we also consider the time to results. When planning reliability testing, an important task is […]

The Weibull distribution is a versatile tool to analyze time to failure data. Like any tool, it could be wielded well or not so well.

Fundamentals of Hazard Analysis podcast episode Some products and systems are just dangerous, inherently. Understanding inherent safety-related risks permits a team to design out or mitigate those risks. Hazard analysis is the systematic process of identifying and controlling safety risks. Let’s discuss hazard analysis’s basic definition(s), including the range of industries and standards involved. Plus, […]

Fundamentals of Cost of Poor Reliability podcast episode I define a reliability failure as something that costs your organization money. It might be a warranty expense or a lost customer. A failure may also create customer expenses, too. Let’s talk about the range of un-reliability costs and their impacts. Consider the impact of a product […]

Fundamentals of Root Cause Analysis podcast episode The ability to determine the root cause of a failure is a skill. It requires agility, leadership, inquisitiveness, diligence, and technical skill. Successful RCA taps into your creativity and technical prowess. Using a structured approach helps. There are many challenges when determining the root cause of a failure—the […]

Fundamentals of Reliability Performance Monitoring Monitoring reliability performance requires both measurement and reporting skills. Focusing on making decisions, we can tailor our metrics to improve our reliability program today. The right measures allow your team to spot problems and solve them. Your customers measure the reliability of your products every time they use your product. […]

A Review of the 2018 ASQ CRE Body of Knowledge The new CRE body of knowledge goes into effect in January 2018. With the additions, deletions, and changes to topics, it attempts to reflect what reliability engineering does daily. Let’s closely examine the new 2018 BOK and what it means. With 13 topics partially or […]

Get Started with DOE with This Practical Introduction and Overview A tool is only as useful as knowing when and how to use it. In this webinar, we will discuss identifying an appropriate DOE project and setting up (define) a DOE. A process for DOE execution will be provided and discussed. We will also provide […]

An Introduction, Basic Definitions, and Overview of a Risk Management Framework Risk is borne from uncertainty. The reliability performance of your product line and individual products is uncertain. Identifying and understanding the risks involved helps your team mitigate reliability performance risks. An obvious risk and common question when developing a new product involves the field failure […]

Enhancing Reliability Integration into the Product Development Process One of the more significant challenges for reliability engineering in product development is the complete execution of the planned reliability process in product development. The reliability tools and techniques outlined in the product plan are often skipped or delayed, minimizing the opportunity for outputs to fully impact […]