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Carl and Fred discuss whether FMEA teams should use the 1–10 Severity, Occurrence, and Detection (SOD) scales in some FMEA Standards, or whether they can tailor the scales to better fit their applications.
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“They’re just not listening.” But what if the problem isn’t their ears—it’s their incentives? Join Fred and Mojan as they explore why people resist change, what actually motivates behavior, and how to drive change when you don’t have formal authority. ᐅ Play Episode
Enrico and Fred discuss a listener’s question about the process to convert a MTBF value to a Weibull curve.
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Capturing lessons learned can be a monumental waste of time—or it can be transformative. Join Fred and Mojan as they explore what separates the two through a cautionary tale: when three engineering teams independently removed electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection from a product to save costs, it nearly bankrupted the division. Discover how one simple system turned hard-won wisdom into institutional memory and prevented the same disaster from happening twice.
What exactly is “damage” in engineering, and how do you predict when it will end a product’s life? Join Mojan and Fred as they explore damage modeling through the lens of reliability engineering. They discuss why understanding damage accumulation is critical for both designers and field teams, and how monitoring thresholds throughout a product’s life can transform maintenance and testing strategy. ᐅ Play Episode
Enrico and Fred discuss the difference between complex and complicated products and what it means for reliability engineering. Using examples ranging from rockets and home appliances to computers and fountain pens, they explore the limits of component-level analysis, the role of system testing, and why surprises remain unavoidable even in well-engineered products.
What is the definition of reliability? Outside of the field of reliability, who defines it or what a failure is? Join Mojan and Fred as they explore how reliability is perceived across the product development ecosystem—from customers to suppliers to design engineers—and why the classic “but it met the spec!” defense misses the point. They discuss why the customer’s perspective is ultimately the only one that matters, and how asking the right questions can prevent the costly mistake of building something that technically works but fails in the real world. ᐅ Play Episode
Carl and Fred discuss why organizational culture is not fixed, and how reliability-focused leadership, communication, and sustained engagement can gradually transform the way teams think and operate.
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Carl and Fred discuss why effective reliability planning begins with identifying the gaps between an organization’s current capabilities and its long-term reliability vision.
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Enrico and Fred discuss the value of professional networking in reliability engineering. Drawing from their experiences with Accendo Reliability, they explore how sharing knowledge, contributing content, and engaging with experts outside one’s company can accelerate professional growth, strengthen reliability culture, and create opportunities for both individuals and organizations. ᐅ Play Episode
Dianna and Fred discuss the reliability contract: the RE’s role as internal consultant.
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Dianna and Fred discuss reliability and volume, comparing high-volume products with low-volume high-stakes products.
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