Product reliability refers to how well a product performs over time. The reliability performance is the direct result of decisions made and actions taken during design, assembly, and use.

A well-designed product will meet reliability expectations. Likewise, a weak design will suffer from more failures than expected.

Reliability occurs at the point of decision during the design process. Decisions may or may not deliberately include reliability considerations.

Maturity reflects the culture or approach to reliability. Immature organizations tend to ignore or use crude techniques to set requirements, identify risks, or measure results. Mature organizations pro-actively work across the organization to enable appropriate decisions by using specific techniques fit for the task.

This book’s intent is to provide you with practical and actionable information so you can change the culture of your organization and consistently create reliable products for your customers.