Framework for a dual-use reliability program standard

Technology today is such that the user, or customer, is not able to specify how a product should be developed. The responsibility of developing a reliable product must be placed on the supplier, instead of the customer. This idea should not be new. Military contractors have been saying that the government imposes too many requirements that inhibit innovative design, and often adds cost, with the result being an inferior product. This paper outlines the framework for a next-generation, reliability program standard based on a "code of practice". In this framework, the customer specifies the performance of the product, without stipulating how the supplier must develop, engineer and test the product. The supplier, however, must show that they understand the needs of the customer, can determine the appropriate processes to meet those needs, and can assure the customer that those needs are met. This approach allows the supplier to be flexible and innovative, as long as the customer's needs are met. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has initiated an effort to develop a reliability program standard which incorporates these concepts.