Leading reliability efforts is a hard road. The resource required to improve reliability is significant. The resource to demonstrate reliability is gargantuan.
Programs that fully qualify products to have meet their reliability goal before release come from institutions that have long histories with a specific type of technology and have the infrastructure in place to support the programs. These are sufficient test facilities, specialized equipment and dedicated personal who can do the procedures with their eyes closed. Product like jet engines, automobiles, and desktop computers. If you are in an organization that is in the “new” to “some-what familiar” range for reliability programs don’t underestimate the importance of having regular quick discussions with the leadership to ensure their expectations of what can be accomplished and your expectations of what is important to the program’s success stay in sync.
- Meet once every three weeks.
- Include individuals from departments such as marketing, sales, service.
- Always keep the discussion guided by what is needed to be demonstrated and what resources are available. It makes no sense to move forward with a plan that doesn’t consider these constraints.
- Create an environment of a shared responsibility. If it becomes, my needs, vs your needs, your done. The only benefit to establishing that dynamic is that it will aid you for the rounds of “whose at fault for the product flop” down the road.
-Adam
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