Traps
(Design Limit)

1. Qualification to MIL-STD and MIL-SPEC environments is required.
   
   Alarms: Mission profile environments are not specified.
   
   Escapes: Use operational mission profile environments to develop test environmental profiles; modify test environments as operational data becomes available.
   
   Benefits: Equipment will be properly designed for operational environments.
   
   
2. Test environments are specified at the weapon system level.
   
   Alarms: The same test environments are applied uniformly to all subsystems.
   
   Escapes: Allocate weapon system mission profiles to the subsystem level and confirm by measurement.
   
   Benefits: Test environments will be representative of subsystem operating environments.
   
   
3. Design limit qualification tests are based on mission profile stress level.
   
   Alarms: Simulated mission profile environments do not consider worst case life cycle profile.
   
   Escapes: Use worst case environmental conditions of the system and subsystem life cycle profiles for design limit qualification tests.
   
   Benefits: Equipment will survive the extremes of the life cycle environment.
   
   
4. Qualification by similarity with proven in-service equipment is used.
   
   Alarms: Comparison is not made between previous qualification test requirements and new operating environments.
   
   Escapes: Quantify environmental differences to identify the need for additional tests.
   
   Benefits: Suitability of equipment for use in new operating environments will be verified.
   

"Manufacturing Plan"Best Practices: How to Avoid Surprises in the World's Most Complicated Technical Process. Department of the Navy; Reliability, Maintainability, and Quality Assurance Directorate (NAVSO P-6071), March 1986, pp. 5-25 to 5-30.