ABSTRACT
In general, failure reporting is a subset of reliability data review which not only includes reports of the manner in which a product fails, but also an understanding of the successful duration of the eet’s operation. Hence, analysis of failure becomes more meaningful when it is done under the umbrella of reliability analysis where the entire failed and operational population is considered. The analysis of reliability data has three main purposes:
• To verify that the device is meeting its performance requirements or goals
• To discover deciencies in the device to provide the basis for corrective action
• To establish failure histories for comparison and for use in future product development activities
As mentioned, reliability metrics represent at an aggregate of part failures in a product population, rather than a single failure or a single product. Considering this accumulation, it may be difcult to scope any failure investigation* and the area on which to focus. The goal is that this chapter is
to shed light on the challenges faced during product improvement investigations and provide guidance on working through these challenges.
