Statistical tools in reliability testing standards

Data are collected and analysed during all phases of a product lifecycle in order to improve, evaluate and verify reliability. Therefore it is not surprising that statistical methods play an important role in reliability standards. Recent changes in the structure of certain IEC standards provide an opportunity to present appropriate, more efficient data analysis and inferential procedures to the reliability engineer. This paper outlines the contents of the statistical tools for reliability testing and the guide to their application. This so-called tool-box of standards is reviewed from a statistical perspective.