Reliability in Start-up vs. Established Businesses
Abstract
Dianna and Mojan discuss reliability in start-up vs. established businesses.
Key Points
Join Dianna and Mojan as they compare the challenges of implementing reliability programs in fast-paced startups versus well-resourced, established corporations.
Topics include:
- the multi-hat reality
- short-term vs. long-term reliability
- demystifying the “black box”
- influencing through options
- learning from failure
Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.
Show Notes
In this episode of Speaking of Reliability, Dianna and Mojan discuss how reliability engineering programs vary across different company sizes, from tiny startups to large “behemoth” corporations.
While every organization shares the common goal of moving from concept to production in a short amount of time, the resources and expertise available to achieve that goal differ significantly.
Smaller Start-ups
In smaller start-ups, reliability often lacks a dedicated team. Instead, engineers “wear many hats”. They frequently perform reliability tasks without even realizing it while simultaneously managing process development or supplier quality.
To focus intensely on getting prototypes ready for investor reviews, these organizations typically operate in six-month windows. This is rather than building long-term data infrastructures.
For these small teams, reliability can often feel like a “black box” or “magic” due to the complex statistics involved. The best way to gain the confidence of a business owner—who is often the primary decision-maker in a startup—is to demonstrate the value of the “mental exercise” of risk analysis.
By walking a team through a structured review like a DFMEA, reliability experts can uncover critical material or design flaws early. Once testing data is gathered, perform a Weibull analysis to forecast failure rates. This provides the tangible information business owners need to make informed strategic decisions.
Established Businesses
In contrast, large, established companies have the resources to maintain full reliability teams and set up long-term infrastructure to gather customer data years into the future.
However, these organizations face their own set of hurdles. Primarily, pushback from product or program managers who are responsible for strict budgets and timelines. In these environments, reliability is sometimes viewed as an obstacle to speed.
To navigate this, present multiple testing options rather than a single requirement. By showing how “Option A” provides a different level of confidence or risk compared to “Option B,” reliability engineers allow program managers to weigh technical risks against business goals, ultimately leading to more collaborative and informed project outcomes
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