Articles

Find all articles across all article series listed in reverse chronological order.

How to Manage Risks During New Product Development

Guest Post by Dianna Deeney (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

New product development engineers are managing risks, daily, with each design decision: unknown risk in creating something new, risk introduced through a failure, human factors risk, and other risks related to products and services. Their design decisions affect downstream activities (from production through disposal) and the bottom-line success of the product in the market. How can engineers manage these risks through the design process?

Proactively managing risks can be an iterative part of product design engineering. Risks can be managed at the early concept phases of development when changes to the design are easier to make. Finding and addressing risks also helps the team to avoid surprises late in development and after the product has been released to the market. The results are not only managing risks but also managing the design process for a more successful product.

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by Hemant Urdhwareshe Leave a Comment

Hypothesis Testing: Part-7 One and Two-proportion tests

Dear friends, we are happy to release this seventh video in our series on hypothesis testing. In this video, Hemant Urdhwareshe explains the applicability of proportion tests, procedure to perform these tests and interpretation of results. The concept is explained with application examples. Do let us know your feedback and subscribe if you like!

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by Joe Anderson Leave a Comment

Creating a Departmental Plan: Your Roadmap to Success

In any organization, departmental success is key to overall success. To achieve this, it’s essential to have a clear roadmap that outlines your department’s goals, priorities, and strategies. A departmental plan serves as this roadmap, guiding your team towards success and ensuring alignment with the organization’s objectives. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of creating a departmental plan and provide a step-by-step guide to help you create one for your team.

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by Nancy Regan Leave a Comment

What Decisions Can RCM Help You Make?

Join me, Nancy Regan, on the rocky shores of Key Largo as we explore the concept of nurturing our equipment through Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). In this video, I draw parallels between the discomfort of laying on a rocky beach and the consequences of neglecting equipment maintenance. RCM not only guides us in establishing proactive maintenance plans but also in determining necessary actions like preventive and condition-based maintenance tasks, equipment redesigns, or modifications to operating procedures. Dive into the practical aspects of RCM with me and discover how to make your equipment as comfortable and reliable as a perfect beach day.

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by JD Solomon Leave a Comment

How the Top Fin of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram Improves Big Decisions

Big decisions require months or years to make, which makes communication associated with them a long game. The FINESSE fishbone diagram provides the seven essential elements for effective communication for big decisions. Playing on the theme of a fish, a fish’s top fin provides it with direction. Let’s explore the top fin of the FINESSE fishbone diagram.

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by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Troubleshooting Guidelines for Unacceptable Gage R&R Results

For engineering, quality and manufacturing professionals, the accuracy and precision of measurement systems are essential. Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (Gage R&R) studies provide a formal method for evaluating measurement system variation. And when the results of a study indicate that the gage is unacceptable, it’s a signal that something needs to change. But how should you approach solving the problem? This article provides a detailed guide to systematically troubleshoot and improve your measurement system when your Gage R&R results fall short of expectations. [Read more…]

by André-Michel Ferrari Leave a Comment

Equipment Maintenance Terminology Simplified

Introduction

This article is a highly simplified overview of Equipment Maintenance Strategies. Its objective is to categorize the types of maintenance approaches for the lay person. Sometimes, explaining the basics using simple terminologies, initiates dialogues with others that are outside of our field of expertise. And as such improve collaboration between teams. How about making this accountant who somewhat controls the maintenance budget, understand what maintenance is really about? On the other hand, that same accountant can educate us on their work practices.

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by Semion Gengrinovich Leave a Comment

Test Design for Component Life

Designing a proper test for the life of an electromechanical component involves several steps and considerations. Here next steps proposed to do:

Step #1: Define the Test Objectives: Clearly outline the expected functions and specifications of the component. Identify potential failure modes and criteria. This step is crucial to ensure that the test is aligned with the design specifications and customer requirements of the electromechanical device.

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by Mike Sondalini Leave a Comment

Selecting a Depreciation Rate for Plant and Equipment

The depreciation rate for equipment varies depending on the operational situation of the asset and the tax laws that apply to your company. The depreciation rate is more an accounting decision than an engineering one. The engineering aspect in the depreciation rate for equipment choice is deciding how long is the operating lifetime for an equipment item.

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I want to know how we calculate the value for the depreciation rate of equipment. Want is done on other industrial sites, we apply an depreciation rate of 8 percent per year?

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by Greg Hutchins Leave a Comment

Top line Project Reporting – Bottom Lie Project Management

Guest Post by Malcolm Peart (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

Projects are about businesses and business is about money. Very few firms are not-for-profit and profit margins are fundamental to ensuring a company’s survival in the dog-eat-dog world of the markets they operate in. Profit declaration is an essential part any company’s annual report and a quick, but not necessarily accurate indicator of its financial health.

According to the microeconomic ‘Theory of the Firm’ companies exist to maximize net profits and all decisions must bear this in mind. But profit margins are based upon forecasts and assumptions until a final account is determined. It’s only then that the grim reality of undeniable and irreversible losses is seen or the comfort any balance hasn’t slipped into the red, or the euphoria that predetermined margins have been maintained or even exceeded!

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by Robert Allen Leave a Comment

Systems/Validation Engineering (Part 3)

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this article series, we described validation engineering as the process of validating, monitoring and execution of product requirements to ensure customer needs are met. The validation engineer is the validation process owner and works with subject matter experts to develop complete, accurate and testable requirements.

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by Hemant Urdhwareshe Leave a Comment

Hypothesis Testing Part-6: Chi-Sq Test Contingency Tables

Dear friends, we are happy to released this sixth video in our series on hypothesis testing! In tis video Hemant Urdhwareshe has explained procedure to perform chi-square test in case of contingency tables. Our objective is to compare different groups to assess whether these are independent or related.

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by Nancy Regan Leave a Comment

The P-F Interval: Quick Tutorial

Welcome back to the channel! I’m Nancy Regan, and today I’m bringing you a special tutorial from Key Largo, Florida. Join me as we dig into Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and uncover the vital concept of the P-F Interval right here in the sand.

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by JD Solomon Leave a Comment

Technical Facilitators: Helpful Tips and Insights on How to Ask Better Questions

The four-part series of communication tips on “How to Ask Better Questions.” The primary audience is technical professionals who serve as facilitators of team collaboration. However, the approaches and techniques apply to just about anyone. This series summary of helpful tips and insight, including a brief description and a link to each article.

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by Lindsay Walker Leave a Comment

Steps to Performing an Effective Root Cause Analysis

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a systematic process for identifying the underlying causes of problems and preventing their recurrence. An effective RCA not only resolves the current issue but also provides insights for improving processes and systems. This comprehensive guide explores the detailed steps involved in performing an expert-level RCA.
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