Reliability Leader with Adam Bahret: Recent Episodes
Adam Bahret
Season 7, episode 2 of the Reliability Leader Podcast is live! In the latest episode, I sit down with Dan Holder, founder of Ground Up Innovations, to discuss bridging the gap between prototype and high-volume manufacturing.
Season 7 of the Reliability Leader Podcast is live! In this first episode, I sit down with Teresa Nelson, Project Management Consultant at Phases Project Management, to discuss common mistakes in project management and how to avoid them.
In this episode, FMEA guru Carl Carson and I discuss the challenges of conducting an FMEA session virtually in the age of remote work. Does it bring the same value as in-person meetings? How do you engage members? Listen to this episode for 3 major tips that we discuss.
Wayne Johnson from Southside Partners LLC joins me to discuss the challenges in Semiconductor Design, Manufacturing, and Reliability. How do we scale up the production to meet the demands of the customer while maintaining sufficient Reliability? Listen more to this insightful conversation.
Any questions or comments: Wayne Johnson
Today's episode is Part 3 of Holy Trinity of Reliability Testing. We discuss Reliability Growth Testing (RGT). Why do this test? How to do? What are the benefits?
Check out other episodes of this 3-part series.
Today's episode is Part 2 of 3 of Holy Trinity of Reliability Testing. We discuss Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT). Why do this test? How to do? What are the benefits?
Check out other episodes of this 3-part series.
Today's episode is about Accelerated Life Testing (ALT). This is considered one among the three testing methods that are considered the Holy Trinity of Reliability Testing. Why do this test? How to do? What are the benefits?
Jeff Gould joins the podcast again - this time to share his stories on different Management styles practiced in the industry. Management is a key part of Reliability Engineering projects & this episode gives insights to explore & experiment.
In this special episode, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva joins us to talk about her work - Reinvention. What is reinvention? Why this framework is needed? and how it can be applied to the product development process.
Resources from Dr. Nadya:
- To test some of the reinvention tools with a community of 500+ professionals from all over the world, join the free live online Easy Reinvention Lab here.
- Get more data and insights shared by Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, download the free 85-page preview of her latest book, "The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos," here.
Adam sits down with Guest Miki Rosenberg, VP of Strategic Technologies, Medtronic Surgical Robotics. In this episode, they discuss how to introduce & effectively execute Reliability Testing in a high-priority, fast-paced development program.
Guest Nelson Rego shares his perspectives on how to bring Reliability Culture into product development. Adam & Nelson discuss how to tie in specific outcomes of tasks to program goals, what to measure, and how to balance development with Time-to-market pressure.
Charles Jablonski from Mueller Water Products talking about Accelerated Life Testing (ALT). Example cases, Learnings, and how it ties within the Product development program.
In this informative episode, Charles Recchia shares his research paper on a new method to perform the Reliability Demonstration Test (RDT) with fewer sample units & higher statistical confidence. Adam & Charles discuss the method's implications on the overall Reliability program.
Reference Links:
- Charles Recchia IIRW Conference Paper
- ASQ RRD Webinar on Chi-square corrections
Episode Guest Leyla Mirmomen shares her journey to starting Optimuos and how her Engineering background has helped identify & provide services to clients. Adam explores how physics-based simulations could be applied to Reliability Engineering.
In this free flowing conversation, Dan Burrows shares his knowledge on Design of Experiments (DOE). What are the fundamentals & how is it being used in Relibaility Engineering.
How do you approach Reliability Testing for a bearing on a Robot System? This short episode discusses the different aspects to consider. L10 life is commonly quoted as a metric for bearing life. But to measure Reliability with confidence, individual operating conditions & system layouts should be considered.
A quick refresher on Weibull Analysis for Reliability Engineering. What is a Weibull plot? How are the results used in understanding the failure rates of the population? The episode explains a simple way to understand the complexity of the plots.
Red Cell is an idea used in the military to create an elite unit of outsiders to intentionally launch an attack on oneself to uncover weakness. Similar techniques are used in hacking competitions, Bug finding bounties, & banking sector security. How can we adapt this for Reliability Engineering & use it during product development? The episode explores some of the ways it can be used to improve product reliability.
Andre and Adam discuss how reliability engineers grow in their careers and find sources for educational content. Andre shares how RAMS conference is different, how to teach reliability, and what has been his own journey. Andre Kleyner is a renowned author and editor for the Wiley series on Reliability & Quality.
Neil Dotenbaugh from ESPEC shares real stories of how Time-to-market pressures teams to release the product without completing reliability tests and how HALT test results can inform the design team. We also discuss how to accelerate the parameters in accelerated testing and his latest conference paper: Doing HALT with fewer samples.
In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Kishor Trivedi from Duke University shares how software is a major cause of failures in complex systems. Shares ideas on how to treat software as a wearing-out component, how to test for failures, identify improvement areas, and plan software maintenance. He also stresses the need for more research on software reliability failures.
Resource: Book "Handbook of Software Aging and Rejuvenation"
Felix Chen talks about how he got into the Reliability Engineering field and his current experience managing product failures. What metrics to use for reliability? How to best describe it to other stakeholders? How do metrics drive the program? He also highlights the importance of Statistics, and how it can be used to quantify the uncertainty in predicting Reliability.
Lots of resources are available to learn Reliability Engineering, how do you choose the best Reliability program to train your team? In this episode, Chris Jackson breaks down the factors to consider when choosing to invest in training programs, insights on whom to train among Organizational teams, and spills the beans on his next educational project.
ESG goals are the talk at board meetings these days. In this episode, Charles Bourland from L3 Harris shares how Reliability engineering can contribute to the organizational ESG goals. Recorded live from RAMS Conference, Charles shares how we got started in Reliability and how his latest exploration into the world of ESG has taught about the wide impacts of reliability tools.
Charles can be reached at: Charles Bourland | LinkedIn
Cam Page takes some time from her exhibit at the RAMS conference to discuss HALT testing and how it has grown in multiple industries.
I was very fortunate to have Dr Wayne Nelson as a guest on Reliability Leader. We both attended the RAMS conference in Orlando this year and he was gracious enough to discuss his upcoming new edition of his 2003 book "How to Analyze Recurring Events Data."
Setting out to build a new reliability department taught me a lot about the right way to integrate reliability into product development. I almost learned the really hard way, but luckily corrected my path in time.
Rick Sprenkle and I discuss how different personality types handle unforeseen issues when they arise.
Tim Looney and I discuss the different unofficial roles we find in all organizations including the "pioneers and the settlers." Tim Looney is the President of NorthEast Biomedical. A medical product design firm.
Rick and I discuss some of the common personality types we find on design teams. The dynamics and interactions that unfold have a lot to do with how well a program runs.
The Motto for the Lightening Fast Reliability method is "Robust Ready and Risk Guidance." In this episode, we discuss what Risk Guidance is.
The Motto for the Lightening Fast Reliability method is "Robust Ready and Risk Guidance." In this episode we discuss what Robust Ready is.
In product development we so often, or almost always, have a show stopper issue. This is a technical challenge we can't easily overcome or a simple problem with a difficult solution late in teh game. What do we do? Tim Looney, President of Northeast Biomedical, and I discuss some experiences and ideas on how to address it.
Tom Dutremble, CEO of Acorn Product Development, joins us to talk about common pitfall and best practices in electro-mechanical product design. More about Acorn Product Development can be found at www.acronpd.com
Rich Harpster, founder of harpcosystems.com, joins us to talk about doing FMEA's with purpose. He has created methods that better connect the true design process to the FMEA method. The result is an FMEA team that is enthusiastic and feels purpose in using the tool. Rich can be contacted at richard.harpster@harpcosystems.com.
So often we identify leadership talent in technical people. They are marked for advancement but not always given the training needed to succeed. Henry Chidgey and I discuss how this process can be done different.
The fourth season of Reliability Leader has a them of "The Human Side of Engineering." In our first episode Jeff Gould joins me to discuss how language can have a tremendous effect on the success of technical programs.
Nancy and I share a passion for reliability. We also share a passion for maximizing performance of individuals. There is no way around the fact that how people operate effects how machines operate.
Jessica shares a personal story about the experience of receiving poor field service as a consumer. Together we brainstorm on how the company could have improved the experience.
In this episode I discuss the reliability anchoring methodology from the Reliability Culture tool kit. The anchoring tool ensures we are tracking if changes to a planed test will effect ROI in a manner that justifies cancelling or postponing that test.
In this episode my guest Dan Burrows, Director of Quality and Reliability at Solecta, discuss the difference between quality and reliability engineering. It's not as easy as you would think, and there is surely more than one answer.
"The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system."
Do you know what that quote is from? If you do you are an awesome geek. if you don't I still think you will enjoy this episode about how reliability engineers think a little different from design engineers.
My guest Carl Carlson and I discuss FMEA's and how they are best incorporated into product development programs. Carl is a thought leader in FMEA and the author of "Effective FMEAs". He can be contacted at cscarlson3@gmail.com
Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis (DFMEA) is one of the most important tools in a reliability program. If implemented correctly it will significantly improve efficiency in the design process. Implemented incorrectly it can be a devastating detour in what could have been a great produce development program. Let's talk about both.
How do we go from a prototype to robust design? There are a few easy steps ranging from correctly assessing what drives robust performance to testing driven design change.
After reading a NASA guide on best practices for fastener retention (lock washers, nylock nuts, tapered threads, chemical bonding) I was surprised to find out that that the method used most in everyday life was effectively useless. Got me thinking, what else do we do in product design as a "best practice" only because we've always done it that way?
What is the most effective and fastest reliability program? It is simply the golden trinity of HALT, ALT, and RG. In thsi episode I dicsuss how to apply these tools with an extremely high ROI.
Perry and I discuss different types of risk and how to include them in program decisions. Perry Parendo is the founder of Perry's Solutions. He can be contacted at Perry@PerrysSolutions.com, or visit www.PerrysSolutions.com
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In this episode my guest Bill Williams and I discuss the probability of one woman being hit twice in the stands while watching a baseball game.
Tim looney from North East Biomedical joins us to talk about best practices and common pitfalls in medical device design. Tim can be directly reached here.
Achilleas Dorotheou, of Parker Hannifin, shares with us the journey of transforming a team of bright young engineer into a mature team that creates highly reliable products.
In 1957 an unlikely event occurred, actually two events in sequence. The odds these two events would occur seem almost impossible, but reframing what happens makes it much more probable. There is an interesting lesson to extract from what occurred to Alice Roth on August 17th 1957 about the vantage point for statistics.
Products programs aim to grab maximum market share with a carefully crafted balance of product factors such as, technology, time to market, cost point, and reliability. Why do we so often not end up with a product that reflects that product factor balance? It's how the goals are transferred to the team. The Focus Rotation method is a tool to assist with making sure the full team holds the goal balance intended throughout the program.
Guest Ann Marie Neufelder from Mission Ready Software consulting joins me to discuss the most critical factors in developing highly reliable software. Ann Marie, with her team has created highly advanced models based on over 30 years of performance data. These models direct market leading companies in best development practices and the ability to predict reliability performance.
Rick and I discuss how software development and reliability has evolved over the past decades. It has gone from simple debugging, to "lint" and is now transitioning into AI.
A quick overview on how software reliability is different than electro-mechanical reliability.
There should be someone else in the room when making program decisions. It's the customer. This is how to do it. The Phantom's Contract.
In this episode I review the Anchoring Methodology. It is a method to ensure teams get the best ROI from reliability tools by creating specific points for tool outputs that connect with eh higher-level program objectives.
In this episode I discuss the tool Strategy Bounding. Strategy Bounding allows us to make quantitative decisions regarding balancing major program and product factors like time to market, cost point, reliability, new feature development
There are so many places to find inspiration for invention and improved design. This episode starts with a story about how one of the largest companies in the world today started by finding a solution to a problem in a separate industry. I then discuss a few simple ways to use innovation to improve products early in your development process.
The earliest documented customer complaint that has been discovered is from 1750 BC. It was very specific in the issue with the product and was written and delivered in a manner that indicated the customer was very upset. What can we learn from this dynamic of customer and merchant that has been a staple of business since the dawn of man?
I discuss the concept of "Time to Reliability." Time to Reliability is considered the total time from design concept up until the moment when a product is in the customer’s hands performing to the standard of its reliability goals. In a traditional design process, this is often not the same as "Time to Market." A low-reliability product release will require a "Recovery" phase after the initial release. This post-release phase demands engineering resources and great expenses to both the manufacturer and the customer. The recovery phase concludes once the product is performing to its intended reliability goals. In a highly mature product development process, Time to Reliability and Time to Market is the same and the recovery phase is rendered unnecessary.
Guests Frank Bruno and Bill Kennedy, along with myself, discuss the benefits of patenting innovations that were specifically created to increase product safety. Not only can these patents provide the documentation necessary to defend against litigation, but they can also be sufficient in deterring litigation altogether.
Frank A. Bruno is a partner at White and Williams in Philadelphia and chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group. He is a technology lawyer who focuses on patent law.
William D. Kennedy is a partner at White and Williams. He is a trial and appellate litigator and defends companies against complex claims of injury and damage.
Bill Kennedy, from White and Williams law firm, joins me to talk about the benefits of patenting safety features. If litigation occurs from failures and consequently causes injury or property damage, the result all comes down to proving intent. If features were created specifically to enhance safety, why not patent them so that they are fully documented. This is a great foundation for building a defense case. More info on Bill at the White and Williams website.
Why are we so passionate about reliability engineering? More specifically, why am I so passionate about it? Great question, in this episode I dive into my love for reliability engineering. As a preview, it all started at a cocktail reception. I had an interesting conversation with an executive who had no experience in product development. He asked about what I do for work and, as I described it, he saw how excited I was about reliability engineering. He even stopped me at one point just to express such. It got me thinking afterward, "Why do I love it so much?” and “Could I explain it in a simple statement?" I think I have, listen to find out!
Mark Wirth returns to continue our discussion (from episode 7) on how to apply the best problem-solving techniques to any situation. There were so many great topics up for discussion, we just couldn’t fit it all in one episode. More on Mark at solverellc.com
Mark Wirth, a problem-solving expert, and I have a great conversation about how a complex technique should be applied to an individual problem. It's a Goldilocks situation; not too much and not too little. But how can we know before we start? Mark describes four critical factors that can't be compromised. More on Mark at solverellc.com
We so often look to save time by jumping into a project unprepared. It appears that going forward as quickly as possible with what we think is a well-thought-out idea is going to save time. Well, as we all know, hindsight is 20/20. In this episode, I discuss how, in retrospect, we often see that time would have actually been saved by investing time to create a more detailed and research-based plan. These plans are our architectural drawings for action.
Ken Haven is the CEO of Acorn Product Development. Acorn is one of the world leaders in electro-mechanical product design. As a consulting firm, they see design in practice across all industries and companies of any size imaginable. We get to hear Ken's unique perspective on common pitfalls that result from not designing the product intended. More on Acorn can be found at https://www.acornpd.com/
My good friend Henry Chidgey joins the show to apply his many decades of experience coaching executives to a role-playing segment centered in product development. More info on Henry can be found at https://henrychidgey.com/
I discuss how organizational reliability assessments work. Key points include: Where did the methodology come from? How are they done? What does the organization do with the assessment results?
Jim McLinn joins us to share wisdom from his 40 years of helping organizations get the most from Design for Reliability (DfR). We focus on the multi-decade transition the industry has undergone from silo-style organizations to integrated organizations. Most importantly, how that change has affected reliability engineering’s ability to influence design early on in development.
I discuss our milestone of reaching the fourth phase of the practice of reliability engineering, Reliability Culture. Reliability as a discipline in product development started with the simple strategy of "over design." As a refresher, we started with big, heavy, and strong items to accomplish a task. If these weren’t getting the job done, we tried something even bigger and stronger. Phase two was the use of statistics and analysis to predict performance and adjust designs accordingly while Phase three was the Design for Reliability philosophy. Now in phase four, Reliability Culture, we are applying methods and tools to connect reliability programs to the product market as well as business goals.
I love continuing to chat and answering questions on these topics. Feel free to reach out to me anytime to discuss further at abahret@apexridge.com or go to www.apexridge.com