Analytical Approach to Planning Validation of Carry-Over Parts 2007-01-1740

Oftentimes, validation planning for carry-over programs becomes a matter of guesswork and is not managed in a streamlined manner. This is partly because development effort for carry-over platforms tends to fall by the wayside when there are new, high profile programs that compete for resources and engineering attention. Furthermore, while much literature exists for product validation, its methods tend to focus more on new part prove-out, rather than how to assure quality and reliability of a part that is only slightly different from the previous generation in design or manufacturing process. Considering that cars typically have a mixture of newly developed and carried over parts, effective validation of the latter deserves just as much focus as the former. This paper proposes a methodology that systematically identifies key factors for validating any given carry-over product, leading to development of the validation test plan. In doing so, the methodology advocates three-dimensional consideration for the product - its functions, physical composition, and time-related degradation, i.e., reliability.