How can you scale your reliability engineering program?

Choosing the right metric for reliability is one of the most important objective while designing a product. It can decide the time to market, depending on how long you need to demonstrate the reliability. If you choose a wrong metric, it could give a wrong perception that the product is reliable, while customers can start seeing early failures. Business, product and engineering teams should engage to define the metric.

Reliability can cost A LOT, but so does the unreliability. While the costs related to the former are exhibited from the begining during the system’s acquisition cycle, the additional costs due to the latter will only reveal themselves during the utilization and support stages of the system’s life cycle. Do the math and don’t forget to take into account who is going to pay for what.

I rarely heard a product is bought because it is reliable, safe or secure. Reliability, safety and security are no feature a car dealer will mention on the windscreen. On the other side you can get into real trouble if your product is does not proof reliable, safe and secure in an incident. At least you will get bad press. As a result the reliability goals will always be a compromise. More driven by regulatory requirements than by individual customer expectations. Even more driven by state of art arguments useful in a trial than by individual customer expectations. Ever heard an individual customer stating reliability expectations? Nevertheless most engineers do not like to kill people. That is another driver to make a system reliable.

When scaling a reliability engineering program, it may seem like a daunting task, but there are several steps that can be taken to make it a success. The first step is to establish clear goals and objectives for the program, which will help determine the necessary resources, budget, and staffing needed to scale it effectively. To achieve this, a robust process for identifying and mitigating risks should be developed and implemented. This can involve analyzing data, conducting root cause analysis, and developing preventative or corrective actions. It's also important to ensure that the program aligns with the overall business objectives and priorities of the organization.

In my years of product development experience, I've learned the importance of scaling a reliability engineering program. Here are some key steps: Modular Approach: Divide your program into expandable modules. Automation: Automate tasks from data collection to analysis. Standardization: Set clear standards and processes for consistency. Scalable Resources: Ensure resources can grow with needs. Training: Invest in team skills. Monitoring & Adaptation: Implement monitoring and adjust strategy. Collaboration: Seek collaborative opportunities. Flexibility: Stay adaptable to change. These methods have proven effective in my experience, helping maintain product quality and reliability at every stage.

I believe than an organization should have a dedicated Design for Reliability training program. Every design engineer should have fundamental knowledge of reliabiliy and the training program can help imbibe the culture in young engineers. There could be certification programs that kindle the interest and promote usage of tools on live projects. The Technical experts who mentor young engineers should promote Design for Reliability across the organization. A dedicated team of Reliability engineers and leaders would also help foster the culture.

It might not be fully politically correct to state, but in my experience reliability culture depends on the country′s culture. Engineers from Scandinavian and Western European countries tend to build more reliable systems than other engineers. Yes, there are techniques to use, but in my opinion in the end the development team's culture makes the difference.

No matter if in the cloud or onrem GitOps is the seed no matter the scale. Its more crucial in the cloud where infrastructure as code serves as the source of truth, backup and gives the ability to control huge systems by small teams

To foster effective collaboration with reliability stakeholders, open communication and shared goals are key. Establish clear objectives, maintain regular meetings, and encourage feedback. Collaborative efforts ensure a reliable and robust outcome.

To continuously enhance your reliability program, start by conducting regular reviews to identify strengths and weaknesses. Collect feedback from stakeholders, analyze data, and benchmark against industry standards. Use these insights to refine processes, update strategies, and ensure your reliability program remains adaptive and effective.

In conclusion, by embracing collaboration and regular reviews, you can strengthen and refine your reliability program, ultimately enhancing the quality and reliability of your products or systems