A depot users viewpoint-the need for a philosophy of user participation and continuous improvement in ATE applications to electronics repair

Abstract

It is noted that the purpose of the ATE (automatic test equipment) used for electronics repair in military depots is solely to allow the operational designation of electronics devices which have been 'designated good' at least once to be changed from 'suspected bad' to 'known good'. It is suggested that, from the user's standpoint, all the technical and managerial efforts that are expended in the development and use of military ATE applications should be focused on improving efficiency and effectiveness in meeting this purpose. The most direct user measures of effectiveness and efficiency of an ATE application are the speed with which testing can be accomplished and the accuracy of the testing/diagnosis process. Users should then presume that ATE engineering will result in either speed and test/diagnostic accuracy remaining the same while ATE costs decline dramatically or result in speed and test/diagnostic accuracy increasing dramatically for only small increases in ATE cost. The authors contend that this has happened less often than desired because of insufficient user involvement during application development and the lack of a philosophy of continuing improvement during application utilization. >