Page 279 - Handbook of Materials Failure Analysis

References 275

the design groups. If the design people execute the verification on their own product,
there is a very real possibility of failure, because their focus is on implementing good
performance, not searching for problems. That is a matter for verification. Product ver-
ification might be performed by an independent division within the company or by an
outside organization in order to attain success with the product and to widen its utility.
Furthermore, the tasks of verification are divided into two categories—
establishing verification specifications and conducting verification activities. If a
failure occurs, this makes it easy to trace whether mistakes lie in the specifications
or in verification execution.
Verification specifications and their activities must be strictly performed as men-
tioned before. The deliverables by specification activities include specification name
lists and specifications, both established and newly designed for the particular prod-
uct. Test specification RQ of the lifetime under normal conditions using Parametric
ALT might also be necessary. The verification specifications might be categorized
into the four groups and reviewed by the appropriate specialists.
If the provision “Confirmation of Verification Specification” were inserted into
NASA’s System Engineering Handbook, many failures and issues would be elimi-
nated. It would also boost the development of the methodology for verification spec-
ification as well as quality improvement of products.
No matter how high the organizational capability is leveled up, there is no
guarantee that a product’s quality has been improved to the highest level
without individual product specifications. Only specification testing, including
quantitative specifications fit to the new product, will accomplish it. Developing
complete and accurate specifications will prevent future failures and guarantee a
product’s value.

REFERENCES

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[3] Phadke M. Quality engineering using robust design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall;
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[4] Byrne D, Taguchi S. The Taguchi approach to parameter design. Qual Prog 1987;20
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[5] Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Standard Computer Dictionary: a
Compilation of IEEE Standard Computer Glossaries. New York, NY; 1990. ISBN
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[6] Edwards Deming W. Elementary principles of the statistical control of quality. Japan:
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[7] CMMI Product Team, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Version 1.1, Con-
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