Optimal Allocation of Testing Resources in Reliability Growth Abstract ID: I1251

In product design, reliability growth occurs when a test-analyze-and-fix strategy is used to identify and remove failure modes. We consider the development of testing strategies for improving reliability growth in the design of a system having hierarchical structure. A commonly used strategy is to deploy most (or all) testing resources at the system level; however, implementing a growth testing strategy at the component and subsystem level is less costly and can result in some of the same benefits. We model the reliability growth of such a system, taking into account the allocation of testing resources at the system, subsystem, and component levels. Using this model, we then seek to allocate test resources to achieve maximum reliability for products entering the market.