Speaking Of Reliability: Friends Discussing Reliability Engineering Topics | Warranty | Plant Maintenance

Early Life Failures Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss the impact of early life failures on the customer Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss how failures after a customer starts to have confidence in a product it fails, is the most costly and frustrating for the customer Topics include: Out-of-the-box failures can be […]

Pitfalls of Reliability Testing Abstract Enrico and Fred discuss an array of problems that may arise with reliability testing. Key Points Join Enrico and Fred as they discuss reliability testing and problems that may leads to faulty results. Topics include: Accelerated testing and poor acceleration factor models Too few samples to get a meaningful result […]

“Build, test, fix” sounds like a sensible approach—but in practice, it often leads to poor reliability outcomes. In this episode, Chris and Fred explain how many organizations misuse testing as a late-stage checkpoint instead of a tool for learning. When testing is treated as something that happens “later,” engineers disengage from reliability during design, and critical issues are discovered too late to fix effectively. The discussion reframes testing as a way to reduce uncertainty, uncover failure modes, and inform better decisions throughout development. If your team is relying on testing to make products reliable, this episode will challenge that assumption—and show you a better way forward.

Statistics can feel intimidating—but avoiding it is far more dangerous. In this episode, Chris and Fred explore whether reliability engineers really need to understand statistics, and what that actually means in practice. The discussion highlights a common problem: engineers relying on software tools and “best fit” models without understanding the assumptions behind them. This can lead to misleading conclusions and poor decisions. Instead, the focus shifts to practical statistical thinking—understanding variation, interpreting results, and knowing when analysis is actually useful. If you want to make better reliability decisions (and avoid costly mistakes), this episode will change how you think about statistics.

AI & Reliability Use Abstract Philip and Fred discuss a few ideas around using AI for reliability work. Key Points Join Philip and Fred as they discuss how Philip has jumped into using AI for many reliability tasks. Topics include: Creating apps or scripts to accomplish routine tasks quickly Dealing with very, very large dataset […]

Selecting Tests Abstract Dianna and Fred discuss the critical process of selecting appropriate reliability tests, maximizing value while avoiding the common pitfalls of over-testing or testing the wrong parameters. Key Points Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss selecting tests, maximizing value while avoiding the common pitfalls of over-testing or testing the wrong parameters. Topics […]

Capturing Value Abstract Dianna and Fred discuss capturing value, documenting the cost of unreliability, and speaking the language of management. Key Points Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss the often-overlooked necessity for reliability and quality engineers to quantify value, document the cost of unreliability, and speak the language of management. Topics include: Why quantifying […]

Today’s New Reliability Challenge Abstract Mojan and Fred discuss the range of new challenges facing reliability engineering work. Key Points Join Mojan and Fred as they discuss today’s reliability challenges that face today’s reliability engineers and teams. Topics include: Many are challenges that rhythm with the challenges in the past, like shorter development times and […]

Reliability ≠ Testing Abstract Mojan and Fred discuss the idea that a product’s reliability is not the same as doing reliability testing. Key Points Join Mojan and Fred as they discuss the importance of not confusing testing with a product’s actual reliability. Topics include: A product’s reliability exists whether or not we perform any testing. […]

Understanding Assumptions Abstract Carl and Fred discuss why it essential for reliability engineers to understand the assumptions that go into any reliability activity. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss the broad subject of assumptions. What are they? When are they needed? Why are they important? Topics include: How often do assumptions go […]