 Reliability Services in the Manufacturing Phase
Lessons Learned Process Establishment
DEFINITION
The creation of a process to filter, identify and remember critical elements of previous mistakes or near misses in order to systemically avoid repeats of design errors.
SITUATION
Product design teams have basically two ways to remember significant design errors of the past, either "legends & lore" or massive databases that keep records of everything. Neither achieves the same effects as design reviews, retrospective analyses, and customer return information.
OBJECTIVES
To prevent repeating fundamental design errors and to reduce field failures.
VALUE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION
The electronics industry tends to experience repeats of basic design and process errors on a five year cycle. Some mistakes get repeated on parallel projects or on future projects. The ability to prevent these errors translates into reducing field failures, rework/redesign efforts, and associated costs of unreliability.
RELIABILITY INTEGRATION
An example of Reliability Integration during the Lessons Learned process is as follows:
Design Reviews and Field Information Give Input to the Lessons Learned Process:
Design reviews, field failures, and customer complaints all provide the source material to filter and analyze. The reliability plan and the product development process both provide a mechanism to implement the lessons learned process.
METHODOLOGY
Using the existing infrastructure as much as possible, we collect data on significant issues and track to root cause. Then we take information from design reviews, retrospective analyses, and customer return information to develop a generalized description of the detailed or fundamental errors, and then document the results. Finally, we prepare a very short list of key lessons learned and review with program leaders near the start and just before shipping to increase awareness of key issues.
Ops A La Carte provides the structure and process tailored to fit your organization, plus training/coaching to fully implement.
CASE STUDIES/OPTIONS
The following case studies and options provide example approaches. We shall tailor our approach to meet your specific situation.
1) Repeating Errors
A design team of portable hand power tools struggled through a major field escalation and found the root cause was very similar to the root cause of another escalation a few years earlier. With a little analysis, they discovered a few more cases of field issues that were also repeated errors. We implemented two short awareness meetings focusing on a list of 21 key lessons learned and eliminated field issues related to the list for over two years and counting.
top of page | 
Many New Reliability Services & Reliability Seminars added! 