Reliability Testing and Analysis with Intent

Reliability Society

Adam Bahret, Apex Ridge Reliability Consulting

Product development programs execute reliability test and analysis methods such as HALT, Accelerated Life Tests, DFMEA’s, and System Life tests. Often the results of these initiatives have a compromised impact on the final product due to a disconnect with the overall product development process. This disconnect is a progression from an initial program plan that identified specific reliability tools to aid program decisions and improve the design to isolated initiatives that do not influence the product or program as intended.

Maintaining reliability initiatives by concrete connection points to the program can ensure this progression of disconnection does not occur. The proposed method for maintaining this program integrity, “Intent Anchoring” is the creation and monitoring of two points of connection for each individual reliability tool to the program. The first is a connection point called “Intent.” This point ensures the tool was selected to answer a fundamental product program question or goal pertaining to measurement or improvement. An example is if program specifications require a demonstrated 80% confidence in the 98% reliability goal at release. A Reliability Growth program would be initiated at the Alpha phase for this metric in the high level program plan.

The second connection point is “Delivery.” This connection point ensures a point of insertion for the analysis or test results back to the program at the point of greatest impact on decisions and design features. For example, HALT test with have a “Delivery” point at R&D Prototype. This will ensure that recommended robustness improvements from test results can be incorporated before design freeze. The intent methodology ensures the two critical connection points maintain integrity throughout the program.

Author Bio: Adam is the founder of Apex Ridge Reliability Consulting Services. He is a Mechanical and Electrical Systems Reliability expert with 20 years of experience in product development across many industries. He has worked extensively with reliability program strategy, accelerated testing methods HALT/HASS/QALT/ALT, system reliability measurement and improvement, predictive analysis, education programs, and organizational culture and practices. He has specialized experience in medical, robotics, consumer electronics/appliances, Ion Implantation, and Diesel Systems.

Adam has an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University, is an ASQ nationally certified reliability engineer and a member of IEEE.

More information on Adam and Apex Ridge Reliability can be found at www.apexridge.com

Meeting Location: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 3 Forbes Rd, Lexington, Massachusetts, 02421

Registration: click here

Directions to 3 Forbes Road, Lexington, MA:

• Take Route 128/I-95 to Exit 30B, Route 2A Westbound.
• At the first traffic light, turn left onto Forbes Road.
• Go to the end of the street.
• At the traffic circle, turn right.
• Go halfway around the traffic circle and turn into the parking lot for MIT Lincoln Laboratory
• The main entrance is straight ahead, shared with “agenus”.