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

Is a PhD Worth It? Abstract Chris and Fred discuss the importance (or lack thereof) of having a PhD in reliability engineering. Is it worth it? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss whether having a PhD in reliability engineering is worth getting. There’s a lot to unpack here … Topics include: Simple answer … no. But it depends on what you are trying to achieve. Many reliability engineers are self-taught or have accumulated knowledge from lots of ‘little’ courses. And many reliability engineers with a PhD … are not good at their job! So what job do you want to do? Postgraduate reliability engineering learning specializes in theory. Not practice. So just because you have a PhD, it doesn’t mean you are a leader, can facilitate workshops, know how to compromise, know when to put your textbooks and equations away, and know when to rely on expert judgment. So again … what job do you want to do? You are as valuable as you are valuable. You are not as valuable as a certificate says you are. This is one of the issues with postgraduate study. The teachers (professors) primarily focus on research and high-level data analysis. If this is what you want to do for the job of your dreams … great! If you want to learn how to do this because you realize that sometimes you will need to do high-end data analysis but most of the time you rely on engineering judgment … great! But if you do this to achieve status and walk into a high-earning job where respect is granted and not earned … you will be in a lot of trouble. 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. SOR 1056 Is a PhD Worth It?Christopher Jacksonshare Social: Link: Embed: https://episodes.reliability.fm/sor/sor-1056-is-a-phd-worth-it.mp3 Download Audio RSS Show Notes

Long-form Reading Abstract Dianna and Fred discuss long-form reading. Is it in decline? Key Points Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss long-form reading. Topics include: the impact of the digital age on our ability to focus. why detailed reports and documentation are essential for engineering and reliability work. the risks of relying on checklists without understanding the underlying context and history. how documenting lessons learned can save time and resources for future teams and projects. Gain valuable insights into improving reading habits and the benefits of broad reading for problem-solving. 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 In this episode, Fred and Dianna engage in a discussion about the importance of long-form reading, particularly within the context of engineering and reliability professions. They emphasize the critical role of detailed reports in their work, citing examples such as HALT testing and experimental reports. We also need to document findings, even negative ones, to provide valuable context for future work and prevent the repetition of past mistakes. They raise concern regarding the potential decline in the ability to focus on long-form content, possibly influenced by the prevalence of short-form digital media. Their discussion also touches upon the dangers of over-reliance on checklists and templates without a thorough understanding of the historical context and the “why” behind them. Both Fred and Dianna advocate for the value of reading diverse materials, including technical documents, biographies, and even fiction, as a means to broaden perspectives, enhance problem-solving skills, and foster continuous learning. They conclude by encouraging listeners to embrace reading as a vital tool for personal and professional development and to recognize the lasting impact of well-documented work. The post SOR 1055 Long-form Reading appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Dianna and Fred explore the effective use of reliability block diagrams (RBDs) to enhance team collaboration and decision-making. They emphasize starting simply to facilitate discussions and address design goals. A compelling story illustrates how a basic RBD approach led a team to exceed reliability expectations. The conversation also highlights the importance of communication in reliability engineering, including lessons learned from past failures and the benefits of iterative design processes.

A Good Reliability Engineer Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss a simple question of what being a practical and sound reliability engineer means. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss the different aspects of reliability engineering and what they need to be a good reliability engineer Topics include: The results of effective reliability development for a new product may take years to emerge from field data. Few will remember what contributed to its success if it is proven reliable. A skilled reliability engineer will ask many questions about why a product failed, tracing back through the manufacturing processes and use conditions to determine the root cause. Understanding material science and the history of past products is also crucial for identifying the cause of failure. Companies do not design products solely for marginal or exceptional use cases; instead, by creating a product that meets the fundamental strength limit with standard materials and processes, they achieve a robust design that is more tolerant of marginal use conditions. A proficient reliability engineer can effectively communicate the reliability risks, potential solutions, and cost savings associated with modifying a product to enhance its robustness. Gaining insight into the product, its usage, the manufacturing process, customer expectations, past failure mechanisms, and stress testing results is essential to becoming a competent reliability engineer. 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. Attempting to predict reliability  is a misleading and costly approach to use for developing a reliable system. 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 1053 A Good Reliability Engineer appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Confidence Reliability Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss the term confidence and its use in reliability engineering Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss confidence in predicted failure distributions and the use of reliability engineering. Topics include: Knowing how and why a system fails, such as a modem, and the variations in the environmental stresses is critical to understanding and knowledge of intrinsic wear out of components. When you have only one sample for evaluation from three separate vendors, and when we accelerate the physics driving the wear out, and they all exceed by orders of magnitude the required field use life, we can be confident that any of them will meet the life requirements. Some major considerations for determining whether a component or system will work as intended for the required time can be the quality of the manufacturing, installation, and maintenance over time. Here is a link to Chris Jackson’s webinar titled “Confidence is a measure of you”. 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. Attempting to predict reliability  is a misleading and costly approach to use for developing a reliable system. 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 1052 Confidence Reliability appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Reliability and Safety Abstract Carl and Fred discuss the difference between the body of knowledge of reliability and safety, and how they work together. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss the different roles and responsibilities of reliability and safety activities. Topics include: What is anticipated misuse of a product, and how is that incorporated into reliability applications? What is role of regulatory requirements in reliability versus safety? Difference between performance and safety requirements. How do the four elements in the definition of reliability relate to this discussion? Fail safe: We don’t want product to fail; but if it does we want it to fail safely. Risk analysis includes both severity and probability of occurrence. Severity assessment includes potential safety impacts. Fault tolerance and degraded performance Role of tradeoff studies in decisions about safety and reliability. In an FMEA, is it a failure if the product is used slightly outside the operating envelope? What if the failure is very severe? Discussion of concerns, and how they can be used as input to failure modes. Using AI as input to discussions, to be sure nothing is missed. Both Safety and reliability are essential in products. If product fails, ask what happens (the consequence). 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 1051 Reliability and Safety appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

A Curse of Reliability Engineers Abstract Carl and Fred discuss the importance of reliability engineering and customer service working together to increase reliability and safety from the customer point of view. It is very important to understand how customers actually use your product, and customer service staff are uniquely positioned to provide that insight. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss how reliability engineers can improve customer service, and how customer service can provide critical reliability information. Topics include: Designing customer service activities to satisfy both experienced users and inexperienced users. How should reliability engineers interact with customer service? What is the value? Reliability engineers should sit and listen to customer service calls. Reliability engineers can teach customer service staff what questions to ask customers to decipher valid reliability issues. What about “anticipated misuse”? Should reliability consider anticipated misuse? The answer is “yes.” Customer service can quickly escalate issues from people who already understand have used the first-level diagnostics. Excellent customer service creates word-of-mouth advocacy. AI is an opportunity to improve customer service, with faster diagnostics. 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 1050 A Curse of Reliability Engineers appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

The Testing Strategy Abstract Enrico and Fred discuss a couple of ways to approach planning reliability testing. Key Points Join Enrico and Fred as they discuss a question about testing everything or not. Topics include: Testing is expensive and must create a meaningful result. One approach is to test everything – difficult, time-consuming, etc. Another is to identify key decisions and test to create information necessary to make correct decisions. 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 1049 The Testing Strategy appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Why Set a Reliability Goal Abstract Chris and Fred discuss the importance of (trying to) set a reliability goal. Simple … right? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss reliability goal setting. How do we do them? What makes good ones? How do we not set bad ones? Topics include: Intents and catchphrases are not goals. ‘We have a five-year warranty!’ Great … what is the five-year reliability goal to support this warranty period? ‘It should last 20 years!’ Cool … not all will, so how many can fail over twenty years if this is indeed cool. ‘It should not fail for our customer in the first two years of operations.’ Magnificent … but which customer? … are they on a boat? … is the product being delivered by a third-party courier who has no idea what is in the box? … don’t even know why this is a problem? The ‘quality’ or ‘validation and verification’ team is not in charge. We have come across plenty of organizations where the ‘testing team’ has said that if you can’t test it, it can’t be a requirement. Wrong. Testing is not the only way to measure something. Real example … a ‘quality control team’ in a company successfully had the requirement ‘device must be easy to use’ removed from the specifications because it could not be tested. Effort is often mistaken as outcomes. Sometimes writing down things feels good. Having reliability goals and objectives in some document somewhere might make a board of directors feel good. But what happens when no one in the organization is aware of these goals? … or if they are aware – care about those goals. Goals need to matter, challenge designers, be feasible, and have personal ramifications when they aren’t met. So this means you need to really focus on getting this right. Some organizations say ‘we are success-orientated’ as a shield against looking for and focusing on how their products fail. Every product will fail. There are ‘failure-orientated’ organizations and ‘success-DISorientated 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 The post SOR 1048 Why Set a Reliability Goal appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Review of RAMS 2025 Abstract Chris and Fred discuss the success or otherwise of the Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS) 2025 … with a focus on AI. What are your thoughts? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss the success of RAMS 2025 and its focus on AI. This year, RAMS 2025 was held in Florida. Topics include: How did its focus on AI go? RAMS historically has ‘themes’ that rarely reflect what it is all about. This year’s theme was about ‘AI.’ While there was a fair bit of AI content, it didn’t feel like this was any more than what was included last year. And unfortunately, AI appeared to be touted as a universal panacea to reliability issues. It isn’t. You come up with a crumby design for a new product, AI won’t all of a sudden make it reliable. Conference ‘academic’ writing standards remain a challenge. Technically, to get accepted into a journal or conference proceedings, a paper needs to reflect something that is ‘new’ or adds to the ‘state of the art.’ However, some of the best stories are people talking about mistakes they made on their journey to making something amazing and reliable. These stories often get rejected by the paper selection committee as they are not ‘technical enough.’ But then the papers that are ‘technical enough’ tend to address a very small fraction of real world problems. So it is hard to understand what is ‘acceptable’ or ‘not’ … meaning we get a wide range of papers in terms of quality and relevance. Location, Location, Location! The RAMS hotel selections remain inexplicable. The nearest ‘main’ airport is almost two hours away! The hotel, while nice, is so isolated that it charges like wounded bulls for food, amenities, and so on. This matters! When people are choosing which conference to attend, conferences held in expensive, hard-to-reach places are not a selling point. The RAMS committee can only pretend to openly complain and worry about how to attract future attendees while travelling to the dumbest places to hold conferences so many times … 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 1047 Review of RAMS 2025 appeared first on Accendo Reliability.