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

Reliability Ethics Abstract Carl and Fred discuss the broad subject of reliability ethics, what it means, and how it impacts reliability professionals. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss the role of reliability engineers when facing ethical decisions and circumstances. Topics include: The role of company culture in defining acceptable behavior Social barriers to speaking up Valuing profits over quality and safety Reliability engineers are not on mission to get along, especially if it means compromising safety or reliability. What if you are shy or have trouble speaking up in front of management? You have to be willing to ask the questions that no one wants to hear. What do you do when company culture does not value speaking up about potential problem issues? What to do when the pressure to be a “team player” conflicts with raising safety and reliability issues? What communication skills can help with this subject? Talking in a meeting vs one on one conversations? What to do if company is moving ahead with what you believe to be an unsafe design or process? How to overcome introversion, when needed? You have to be sure you are on solid ground (do your homework) when you propose a different direction than the team. Discussion of the trade off when balancing team direction vs safety issues. Reference the last two chapters in the book The Process of Reliability Engineering. The most important thing is to not be silent when you are certain there is a safety issue. Part of being a team player is knowing when to speak up when it goes against the grain to the team. When is it appropriate to go to higher management. 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 1006 Reliability Ethics appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Tech Obsolescence Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss long-term reliability and the speed of technological obsolescence. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss the rapid pace of technological obsolescence and the need to upgrade devices before they wear out Topics include: One of the most successful computer manufacturers controls both the software operating system (OS) and the hardware and will make a new upgrade that is incompatible with older hardware obsolete even though there is potentially many years of life in the older hardware. Many simple products, like Fred’s drill press, have lasted decades and have few technological advances that would cause him to replace it when it is still able to do the job. Some household appliances, such as today’s washers and dryers, have significant life despite the high vibration and temperature cycles and the considerable variation in the use environment, and yet the advantages of lower water and energy use in newer models may be a reason to upgrade machines. 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach”. It is in the public domain, so please distribute freely. Trying to predict reliability for development is a misleading a costly approach. You can now purchase the most recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz. The post SOR 1005 Tech Obsolescence appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Confirmation Bias with HALT Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss the problem or benefits of having confirmation bias, where we accept or reject test results based on expectations. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss how confirmation bias may result in misunderstanding of the goals of HALT evaluations. Topics include: We are performing HALT on a system that has already experienced failures in the field to show how HALT could have precipitated the same reliability failures but are dismissed because “we already knew that” and fail to see the value of testing time compression and earlier discovery of these failures before market release. Confirmation bias may be an obstacle in that it’s always easier and natural to blame an outsourced supplier or component vendor for sending bad parts instead of completing an in-depth root cause analysis. Experience in HALT evaluations may also provide a bias of knowing that many electronics functional circuits can operate without failure well beyond ratings and specifications and establish new benchmarks of the fundamental empirical strength limits of current electronics technology 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach”. It is in the public domain, so please distribute freely. Trying to predict reliability for development is a misleading a costly approach. You can now purchase the most recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz.   The post SOR 1004 Confirmation Bias with HALT appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Risk of Persistence Abstract Greg and Fred discuss the risks of persisting in a project or in life when you know there are risks.  In poker terms, “do you hold em’ or fold em’?  What do companies do when they’ve sunk a lot of costs and know the ROI of their project is vaporizing?  What do you do when you know you’re losing.  Fight on.  Or, walk away.  The risks of persistence is what we face all the time. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss  what it means to persist in the face of adversity and possible failure.  Topics include: What are the risks of persistence? What are the signals and markers of success? How do you know it’s your time to move on? 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 1003 Risks of Persistence appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Decline of Quality Abstract Greg and Fred discuss the future of quality and reliability professions.  The average age of the quality professional is getting older.  Fewer people are entering the profession.  So, where is the profession going? Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss what’s happening to quality profession where many products are becoming more disposable and less sustainable.  Topics include: Why is quality declining? Are companies designing for planned obsolescence? Why are companies designing their product life lifecycles and bathtub curves for profitability? What’s the future of quality and reliability? 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 1002 Decline of Quality appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Practice Data Sets Abstract Chris and Fred discuss the ability to get ‘data sets’ to practice reliability analysis on! … sounds like a party … Key Points Join Chris and Fred respond to a listener who wants ‘practice data’ to hone their data analysis skills! Awesome … but where is it? Topics include: Textbooks often contain ‘sanitized’ data. That is, data that is created or at least heavily modified from the real world to highlight a certain statistical feature. But this isn’t the same ‘messy’ real-world data characteristics … Companies aren’t interested in sharing their ‘real-world’ data. As you can imagine. So reliability consultants can’t simply share the data they have analyzed for their clients. There are some sources. Check out https://wqmeeker.stat.iastate.edu/ . Maybe Accendo needs to do something. Perhaps we need to create these data sets … based on what we create! … or what listeners send us! We have a huge number of people in our community that could help. But here’s a suggestion. Before you analyze your data set, think about what you would expect to see. For example, if the reason you are analyzing data is because there are concerns about manufacturing quality control, then you would expect to see infant mortality. Do you then see characteristics of infant mortality in your data analysis? If yes … then that is very powerful. This means the data aligns with your independent, pre-analysis assessment. 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes The post SOR 1001 Practice Data Sets appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

The 1,000th Episode Abstract Kirk and Fred and a long-time listener, Nik Sharpe, discuss the long history of doing this podcast from the first Speaking of Reliability podcast SOR #1, “Can you pass HALT?” recorded June 20th, 2015, to this 1000th episode. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss with Nik how and why he found the Speaking of Reliability podcast around SOR podcast 540 in the year 2020 and what he has found beneficial from SOR. Topics include: The original motivation for starting the Speaking of Reliability podcast and the Accendo Reliability Website and how Kirk realized Fred was a change agent trying to eliminate the use of the very misguided use of Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) Nik talks about working remotely in the large country of Australia and the fact that he has realied on the podcast as a way of hearing the latest information on reliability since he says there are few reliability focused conferences or organizations. 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach”. It is in the public domain, so please distribute freely. Trying to predict reliability for development is a misleading a costly approach. You can now purchase the most recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz. The post SOR 1000 The 1,000th Episode appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Product Life Time Abstract Chris and Fred discuss how long stuff lasts! … or how long something should last! … how do you ‘know’ what it should be? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they respond to a question from one of our listeners about how long something should last. Specifically, our listener proposed that the lifetime of a product should be based on a product failure probability that is ‘accepted by the industry at large.’ But should it? Topics include: The ‘industry’ only exists because of the ‘market.’ And the market is NOT the industry. For example, when Japanese cars entered the domestic markets across Western economies around 1980, it turned out they had around two-thirds fewer defects (when compared to carmakers like Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and so on). And forty years later, those Western carmakers are still struggling to compete with the Japanese (and Korean) car makers for smaller personal motor vehicles. Look at mobile phones. When mobile phones first came out (think those big ‘brick-like’ things), they didn’t last very long. Then came smaller mobile phones that were very robust and would last many years (think the Nokia 3210). Then came smartphones which now … don’t last very long (at least compared to the Nokia 3210). Why? Because the market initially responded to higher reliability but then responded more strongly to more functionality. Do what everyone else does at your peril … And there is no ‘standard’ that tells you how long your ‘types’ of products should last. How fast can a dog run? Well … it depends on what sort of dog you are talking about (greyhounds are much faster than dachshunds). What about golden retrievers? Well let’s look at THREE golden retrievers. The first is a well-muscled, large, athletic male dog weighing around 32 kg or 74 lbs. His top speed was measured to be 56.0 km or 34.8 miles per hour. The second is a lean, well-exercised female dog weighing around 27 kg or or 59 lbs. Her top speed was measured to be 52.3 km or 32.5 miles per hour. The third is an overweight male ‘house-dog’ who weighs 41 kg or 90 lbs who isn’t exercised in a meaningful way. His top speed is 37.3 km or 23.2 miles per hour. … So how fast can ANY dog run? Instead, ask yourself ‘how long should OUR product last to help us generate value?’ And that could be to exceed what your competitors can do (i.e. … the ‘industry’). 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes The post SOR 999 Product Life Time appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Reliability and Politics Abstract Chris and Fred discuss how reliability can sometimes be linked to politics (… at least in some way). Is this an experience you share? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss the role politics plays in reliability engineering and reliability endeavors. Because it is unfortunately prevalent … Topics include: There is a ‘political caste of deadwood’ blocking good reliability engineering. Seriously. If you are a good reliability engineer in some company, you will hopefully be rewarded for your excellence. But then there are the people supposed to be ‘spreading the word.’ These are the university professors and the board of directors for reliability engineering conferences and symposia who are the gatekeepers for ‘what gets talked about.’ But if you know anything about universities and boards, you must slowly work your way up the political ladder to get there. And no ‘good’ reliability engineers have any time for this, leaving a toxic culture of mediocrity as people are more focused on prestige and control. And it’s not just reliability engineering. Many ‘senior’ people in organizations have become ‘senior’ because they are good at politics. Not necessarily good at engineering, designing, manufacturing or maintaining. … effort without outcomes – the first symptom of ‘politics’ supplanting ‘engineering.’ And this is because a political organization (by definition) is one where outcomes are measured in terms of personal gain, usually through organizational hierarchical rewards. It’s not about good outcomes. It’s about looking good for the power brokers who decide your fate in the organization. And if those power brokers are themselves the survivors of a political chain of progression … then you are in trouble! Politics destroys communication and creativity. If you have a good idea, and work in a political organization, then your idea needs to go to your boss to support or veto. Then he or she needs to go to his or her boss, attempte to re-explain your idea, to be supported or vetoed. Then it keeps going to the decision maker, perhaps weeks later, perhaps now completely misunderstood by the person explaining it, if it has not already been vetoed. Why? Because political organizations are all about individual promotion. And you speaking directly to the decision-maker does not help that. There will always be politics. But hopefully it is not toxic. And you know how to deal with it. 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes The post SOR 998 Reliability and Politics appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Preparing to Interview Abstract Chris and Fred discuss how to make a good impression when interviewing for a reliability engineering position. How do you prepare? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss what you can do to prepare for a (new?) career in reliability engineering. What can you do to prepare yourself to make a fantastic impression on your prospective employer? Topics include: Relax. Remember that you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Not all organizations are ‘fun’ to work for when it comes to reliability engineering. And preparing yourself is one way to help you relax. Make sure you are ready to answer the question ‘what would you do?.’ Value. Understand what it is your organization values (… and show how you can help) Ask questions. This shows that you are interested and an ‘enquiring mind’ that is all about the vital few and not the trivial thousands. If you are interviewing for a young startup company … then you should have already thought about what reliability challenges they are likely to experience and be able to talk about them during an interview. They are probably not interested in your ability to plan a military-centric reliability growth testing schedule! ‘Work upstream’. Are you the sort of person who wants to know why something broke, and what you could do to fix it? … you may be ‘born’ to be a reliability engineer! Always appear as if you are trying to arrest the problem as early as possible Have an answer for any questions regarding ‘standards.’ If you are interviewing for a military organization, you probably need to know all the military-specific standards out there. But also talk about how those standards should (or should not) be applied to whatever it is the organization is building. Have an answer for any questions above ‘statistics.’ But statistics that are likely relevant to your prospective employer. Which might not be a lot! Show that you can collaborate and influence. Reliability engineers need to work across lots of different domains and groups within larger organizations. Show that you can do that! Have an answer for professional development. Get some if you don’t have any. There are lots of ‘lower level’ certifications you can find. Find the one that works the best for your prospective job. Or simply complete one of the many courses you can complete through online learning service providers. Just don’t say ‘nothing!’ 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. Download Audio RSS Show Notes The post SOR 997 Preparing to Interview appeared first on Accendo Reliability.