Working with a Lab
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss how you go about finding a lab to help you come up with some meaningful reliability information. Does that laboratory exist?
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SOR 787 Working with a Lab
SOR 786 Strength-Stress with Limited Information
Strength-Stress with Limited Information
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss this thing called ‘stress-strength’ we hear a lot about in the world of reliability … especially when we need to use it to work out ‘reliability stuff.’
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What do you see in a ‘Probability’ Plot?
What do you see in a ‘Probability’ Plot?
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
Some of you might have heard about probability plots … like Weibull plots. Some of you might not. A Weibull plot is a really useful way of quickly ‘looking’ at data and being able to ‘see’ really useful things. This could be seeing that a system’s failure rate is decreasing over time … which usually means there are manufacturing defects. It could be seeing that the rate of failure of a system is increasing over time … which means the system is accumulating damage or wearing out. And lots of other things. So, let’s look at a different sort of ‘probability’ plot … and see what we can work out from it. And that means working out what we need to do to improve reliability. Join this webinar if you want to learn how to see really useful things in lines that you might not have appreciated in the past.
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SOR 781 Data and Mechanism
Data and Mechanisms
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss how reliability data analysis really doesn’t mean a lot … unless you pair it with a failure mechanism. Why is this? What does that mean?
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SOR 780 Influencing Change
Influencing Change
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss what it means (as a reliability engineer) to try and change something … even though the organization that thinks they are open to change really isn’t. What can we do?
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Confidence in Reliability
Confidence in Reliability
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
Reliability is a measure of your product or system. Confidence is a measure of you. But we often forget this. We often subject our new product, system, or service to test after test until it reaches this thing called ‘required statistical confidence.’ But this is often an illusion, which is great! Because if statistical confidence is often not ‘real’ confidence, then we don’t always have to resort to statistics to get confidence. In fact, those of us who exclusively rely on statistics are usually those who lack confidence in the product, system or service and need a security blanket to make them feel OK. This webinar talks about confidence from the perspective of the ‘process owner.’ The design team lead. The CTO. The junior engineer. And how you can get a much healthier version of confidence through the way we design and produce our ‘things’ so that when it comes time to test … we are (justifiably) supremely confident that we will absolutely dominate whatever statistical testing hurdle can be thrown our way. And this sometimes means we don’t need to deal with statistics at all!
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SOR 770 Who Makes Something Reliable?
Who Makes Something Reliable?
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the seemingly never resolved question on ‘who’ is responsible for making something reliable? Is it the supplier? The designers? The manufacturers? Aliens?
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Basic Mathematical Symbols and Stuff
Basic Mathematical Symbols and Stuff
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
OK … we have all been there. We have all sat in some statistical presentation or read a document containing mathematical symbols and statistical hieroglyphics we don’t understand. And we pretend we do understand so that we don’t embarrass ourselves. The people we don’t want to embarrass ourselves in front of usually also pretend to understand those symbols and hieroglyphics. This webinar is a light (re)introduction to common mathematical symbols used in many engineering scenarios … including reliability. [Read more…]
SOR 769 Confidence from Understanding
Confidence from Understanding
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss what this term ‘confidence’ means … especially when it comes to statistics (and reliability)
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SOR 764 Regression Metrics
Regression Metrics
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss ‘regression metrics’ … or numbers that software packages spit out at us to suggest if a statistical model is ‘good’ or not. But if this is the only thing you (as an engineer) rely on to understand your system … you are already in trouble!
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SOR 763 Technology Only Goes So Far
Technology Only Goes So Far
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss the limits of ‘technology solutions’ … especially when it comes to reliability – mainly because there is always a human being involved!
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How to Take the Guess Work out of Expert Judgment
How to Take the Guess Work out of Expert Judgment
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
Most humans can be quite technically minded. And sometimes we aren’t. Sometimes, we expect every drug or medical procedure to be checked, approved, validated, and tested on other people (et cetera) before subjecting ourselves to whatever our doctor suggests. At other times, we spend lots of money at casinos (note that I said ‘spend’ and not ‘invest’ or ‘win’). When it comes to reliability, we can sometimes be too technically minded. A reliability ‘number’ might not exist until our product has undergone exhaustive testing. Which can often be two years too late to do anything about if it turns out it doesn’t meet all our reliability dreams. So what can we do? Well … why spend money trying to generate information (through lengthy tests) when you can use the information stored in everyone’s brain? The most common answer (even if we don’t want to admit it) is that this sounds like guesswork. And guesswork can sound unprofessional. Or it’s just wrong. But there are ways you can suck out information from a group of experts in a quantifiable and remarkably accurate way. Want to learn more? This webinar introduces you to some of the concepts that might interest you.
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SOR 758 Incomplete Data
Incomplete Data
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss what it means to have incomplete data. Isn’t data just data?
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SOR 757 No Such Thing as Safe
No Such Thing as Safe
Abstract
Chris and Fred discuss this term we call ‘safe.’ What is ‘safe?’ How can we use the term ‘safe’ in industries that involve a lot of risk? Perhaps there is no such thing as ‘safe?’
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What is Reliability Growth?
What is Reliability Growth?
podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson
Sounds simple, right? And it is. Reliability growth literally refers to a process where we improve the reliability of a product, system, or service. But sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it is expected that not only do we understand reliability growth … but measure it. And predict how much it will grow in the future. This is sometimes called Reliability Growth Testing (RGT), Reliability Growth Planning (RGP), or Reliability Growth Prediction. And there are lots of equations and models for all these things. But do these models actually model the ‘real world?’ … can they work for you? … SHOULD they work for you? This webinar introduces you to the topic of reliability growth (both qualitative and quantitative) along with key concepts (like the Duane Failure Pattern) to help you work out if there is (or is not) a place for reliability growth in your organization.
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