Design and Management of an Integrated Reliability Improvement Program in Product Development and Production

When reliability is addressed in product development it is traditionally done when the design is near completion, or even as late as in the pre-production phase. The analysis process (predictions, failure mode and effect analyses) is often completed well after the design is frozen and late for introduction of changes for reliability improvement, while reliability improvement testing is done on production units. This paper outlines a comprehensive reliability process that needs to take place during product development for cost effective reliability improvement of the design using analytical and test methods. The reliability improvement process is correlated with the general phases of the product development, and is designed for effective improvements concentrated during the product design phase, and minimal product changes resultant from deficiencies found in reliability improvement testing.