New Revision C released for MIL-HDBK-189, Reliability Growth Management

MIL-HDBK-189 Revision C has just been released.  The document, entitled “Reliability Growth Management,” replaces the previous revision, MIL-HDBK-189B with administrative notice 1.  This guide is intended for use on systems/equipment during the development phase by both producer (supplier) and consumer (military) personnel.

Reliability growth management procedures were developed to help guide the materiel acquisition process for new military systems. Generally, these systems require new technologies and represent a challenge to the state of the art. Striving to meet these reliability requirements represents a significant portion of the entire acquisition process and, as a result, the setting of priorities and the allocation and reallocation of resources such as funds, manpower and time are often formidable management tasks.

Reliability growth techniques enable acquisition personnel to plan, evaluate and control the reliability of a system during its development stage. The reliability growth concepts and methodologies presented in this handbook have evolved over the last few decades by actual applications to Army, Navy and Air Force systems. Through these applications, reliability growth management technology has been developed to the point where considerable payoffs in system reliability improvement and cost reduction can be achieved.

This handbook provides procuring activities and development contractors with an understanding of the concepts and principles of reliability growth, advantages of managing reliability growth, and guidelines and procedures to be used in managing reliability growth.

MIL-HDBK-189C is not intended to serve as a reliability growth plan to be applied to a program without any tailoring. This handbook, when used in conjunction with knowledge of the system and its development program, will allow the development of a reliability growth management plan that will aid in developing a final system that meets its reliability requirements and lowers the life cycle cost of the fielded systems.

The primary change in this new release is the addition of PM2 (Planning Model Based on Projection Methodology) planning model.  However, there are no guides to the actual changes in the document due to the extensive nature of the update.  Because the handbook is only 149 pages, detailed development of underlying theory and estimation procedures are not provided.  There’s a two-page bibliography at the end of the handbook to assist the user find additional information.

To purchase all of the publicly distributed Military Handbooks, including the new MIL-HDBK-189C, use our Document Center website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our staff is available to assist you with all your standards needs and questions.