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

When I Know it’s Not Right Abstract Carl and Fred discuss a question brought up at recent conference: what do you do when you are supposed to do something that you know is not the right thing to do? The context was reliability engineering and management. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss […]

When to Consider Reliability Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss at what point in the product development process should we consider applying reliability engineering to the concept and actual prototypes. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss the reliability process and reliability tools and methods and when to apply them. Topics include: Reliability development […]

Predicting the Unknowns Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss the world of reliability predictions and the issue of predictions when many, if not most of the causes of unreliability, are surprises. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss use of good design rules and building in some margins of safety, but yet when the […]

If you want to be a good reliability engineer ... be helpful. If you are helpful, then people will come back to you. It doesn't matter if you work as a consultant or in a cell in an organization. Too many reliability engineers are more focused on 'doing things right' ... which is another way of saying that we often want people to do things the 'perfect' way as we see it. But being helpful is more...

Reliability (and lots of other types of) engineering relies on equations. Especially statistical equations. But do you know what equations represent or mean? This might sound like 'next level' academia that you don't want to touch. But if you know what formulae and equations represent, it is actually easier to use them because you can link them to tangible concepts in your mind. Want to learn more...

Change Management Success Abstract Greg and Fred discuss organizational change management and behavior change.  Greg’s change management is sell the sizzle.  Fred’s is give them the steak.  Discover why? Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they share change management stories including tips and tools for success.   Topics include: What is change management? How can […]

Contingency and Risk Planning Abstract Greg and Fred discuss various situations where contingency and risk planning may be required. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss contingency and risk ‘what if’ planning.  Topics include: When should a contingency and risk plan be developed. How to develop a contingency plan. What are the critical […]

Do you know if a fault tree is better than a reliability block diagram? Do you need to model system reliability ... and need to pick one approach? Never heard of these modeling methodologies? Listen to this podcast!

A lot of people 'know' what a 'k out of n' system is. But do you know if it mimics are series or parallel system when young? How does the answer change when it is old? If you don't know the answer ... listen to this podcast and see if you can learn something to help your system reliability performance!

FMEA Detection – Useful? Abstract Carl and Fred discuss a reader question about assessing risk related to detection, as part of FMEA procedure, specifically its usefulness and application. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss FMEA detection in FMEA. Topics include: What is FMEA detection? How is FMEA detection assessed in FMEA? What […]

Reliability Goals and Requirements Abstract Carl and Fred discuss the importance of well-written reliability requirements and whether they should be goals or actual requirements. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss reliability goals and requirements. Topics include: Project goals or metrics are not sufficient What to do if reliability is difficult to measure […]

Redundancy Risk Balance Abstract Greg and Fred discuss what is redundancy and why it’s a critical business tool. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss process and product redundancy in a world that wants to reduce friction and be lean. Topics include: What is redundancy? Why redundancy is important in a lean world? […]

Risk and Reliability Lenses Abstract Greg and Fred discuss risk and reliability lenses for solving today’s dynamic problems. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss the intersection of risk and reliability lenses under uncertainty.  Fred says: “Reliability is the critical lens to understanding  and addressing today’s engineering problems”.  Greg, a one-trick pony, say...

It is useful to understand how you get to where you are today to help you get to where you want to go tomorrow. The same applies to reliability. World War II in particular played an instrumental role in creating what has since come to be known as reliability engineering. And some lessons are still relevant today.

Why do we make assumptions? Because they give us information for free. This is often really useful, especially if you have a fair amount of experience or expertise on a particular topic or area. But we often like making assumptions that make our life easy. And this is really bad.

Regulation Reducing Safety Abstract Greg and Fred discuss conformity assessment and what should and can you do to comply with a regulatory requirement. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss safety regulations and compliance to standards. Topics include: What is conformity assessment? Why is conformity assessment important? How can you demonstrate compliance? What […]

Improving Information Abstract Greg and Fred discuss how to improve your ability to get the right information to solve the right problems. Key Points Join Fred and Greg as they discuss how to focus on the right information if you’re doing an analysis, surveillance, or audit. Topics include: Do you ask the right questions to […]

You might have heard of Monte Carlo simulation. This might sound advanced, or challenging, or beyond your skills. It's not! In fact, Monte Carlo simulation can do a really good job of modeling really, really complex things really easily. Want to learn more? Listen to this podcast.

We are often pestered into 'measuring' reliability before we start 'improving' reliability. Measuring can be important ... but it is only important if it will help you make a decision. So, start with understanding the decision you are trying to inform.

Lifespan of an FMEA Abstract Carl and Fred discuss a reader question about what is called a “living FMEA.” Is this a good idea? How is it done? Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss whether to update FMEAs with test and field information on an ongoing basis. Topics include: An updated FMEA […]

RCM and FMEAs Abstract Carl and Fred discuss a reader question on FMEAs that involve maintenance. Specifically, can a Design FMEA have causes that are maintenance related? Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss Reliability Centered Maintenance, and the role that FMEA plays in doing RCM projects. Topics include: RCM includes an FMEA […]

Details and Plans Abstract Greg and Fred discuss why and how the triple constraints of a project: schedule, cost, and scope variances result in risks that can result in project failure. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss schedule risk, cost risk, and scope risk.  Topics include: What are schedule, cost, and scope risks? […]

Plug and Pray Abstract Greg and Fred discuss why engineers plug numbers into a formula not really knowing why or what they are doing.  At best, this is called ‘plug and play.’  At worst, this is called ‘plug and pray’ the formula works. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss the challenges of […]

Bad History Challenge Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss how to deal with those who have said that they tried using the HALT methodology with a past project but did not find any benefit from it. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss the situation where a we are trying to introduce a new […]

Cycles or Time Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss whether we should use time or number of cycles or total time a product has been available for use. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss a question from a listener on whether it’s better to use time or cycles as a reliability metric. Topics […]