An extended reliability growth model for managing and assessing corrective actions

The most widely used traditional reliability growth tracking model and reliability growth projection model are both included as IEC International Standard and US ANSI National Standard models. These traditional models address reliability growth based on failure modes surfaced during the test. With the tracking model all corrective actions are incorporated during test, called test-fix-test. With the projection model all corrective actions are delayed until the end of test. This is called test-find-test. However, the most common approach for development-testing programs include some corrective actions during testing and some delayed fixes incorporated at the end of test. That is, test-fix-find-test. This paper presents an extended model that addresses this practical situation and allows for preemptive corrective actions.