Eight integrated computer programs provide needed capability to reduce man-hours needed to perform routine monitoring and assessment of effectiveness, reliability, and maintainability of large electronic equipment systems

Givens, W. D.

Nicely, H. P., Jr.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

August 1972	 B72-10458 
NASA TECH BRIEF 
NASA Headquarters 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage 
commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information 
Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Systems Effectiveness Evaluation Program 
The problem: 
Reduce the man-hours needed to perform the routine 
monitoring and assessment of the effectiveness, reliability, 
and maintainability of large electronic equipment systems. 
The solution: 
The system of eight integrated computer programs 
provides the needed capability. The programs were 
originally developed to assess the reliability and main-
tainability of twelve sets of Acceptance Checkout 
Equipment/Spacecraft (AEC-S/C), each set containing 
175 racks of equipment and 1,000,000 piece parts. These 
programs reduced requirements from five full-time 
personnel to one part-time person and provided a more 
comprehensive monthly assessment with automatic up-
date of previous assessments. 
How it's done: 
The inputs to the System Effectiveness Evaluation 
(SEE) program consist of system configuration data, 
elapsed time meter readings, and edited failure reports. 
The SEE program outputs are: 
(a) Mean-Times-Between-Failures (MTBF) and 
Mean-Times-To-Repair (MTTR) for all unique 
parts or assemblies, for all subsystems, and for 
the system, with associated confidence para-
meters and weak-link flags; 
(b) Printer-plotter trend charts of the MTBF's and 
MTTR's; 
(c) MTBF and MTTR correlation charts comparing 
the performance of all ground stations; 
(d) Computation of system reliability, availability, 
and expected cumulative downtime during a 
simulated mission; and
(e) Numerous utility programs used in spares pre-
diction and in the identification of problem 
areas. 
An essential requirement is the proper and timely 
integration of data from three separate and distinct 
processes: the precise encoding of the complete logical 
description of all equipment; the encoding being per-
formed with translation tables; the systematic reporting 
and processing of failure experiences; and the periodic 
recording and processing of equipment operating times. 
The primary feature of the SEE program is the ability 
to rapidly pinpoint equipment problem areas for cor-
rective action, down to the lowest possible level of 
assembly. The programs can be modified for any large 
complex electronic system. 
Notes: 
- This program is written in FORTRAN (685o') and 
GMAP (32%) for use on the GE-635 computer. 
2. Requests for further information may be directed 
to:
COSMIC 
112 Barrow Hall 
University of Georgia 
Athens, Georgia 30601 
Reference: HQN-10306 
Source: H.P. Nicely, Jr., and W. D. Givens of
General Electric Co. 
under contract to

NASA Headquarters
(HQN- 10306) 
Category 09 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National 	 Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States
	 information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States 	 will be free from privately owned rights.
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Systems effectiveness evaluation program

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