Customer Reviews

Test Engineering: A Concise Guide to Cost-effective Design, Development and Manufacture (Quality and Reliability Engineering Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is the very first book (that I'm aware of) written for test engineers and managers. This book is an overview of all types of testing.

The author's philosophy is excellent.....

"The author has never found a company or a project where it was considered in retrospect by those involved that too much was spent on a development test programme." Test Engineering by Patrick D. T. O'Connor.

When you consider that Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, the Comet IV and the Challenger failed not because of negligence, but because critical data slipped through the cracks, or was misinterpreted, this book may just prevent that next tragic unknown from taking place. Or at least arm engineers, and managers, as to what is taking place.

Highly recommended, from one in the business.

I bought this book seeking practical information relating to testing of manufactured PCB assemblies. I found relatively little information on that subject, and the information I did find was of a general nature.

I got the impression that if you are interested in a survey of issues dealing with mechnaical failures, you might find more to like in this book.

A very good book in content, O'Connor covers the major issues, provides resources and methods for driving deeper into developing appropriate test plans and does an okay coverage of test management. The book could do better from a Test Philosophy perspective, although the chapter on management comes close.

The drawback is the publishers quality of reprinting the figures. At last count there were 8 figures with missing or illegible text. Mostly this is annoying and not detrimental to conveying the concepts. However, the flow charts on test management / test plans are so bad as to be nearly worthless. It could be an issue with the particular printing I have. As of this review I have attempted to contact the author and publisher, but I do not expect a response. Amazon replaced the book, but the replacement also had the problems.

So would I recommend the book, yes, but only IF the figures are taken care of, otherwise I would say find a different source. If the figures are resolved then I would rate it a strong 4, maybe a 5. If the author grows the test management material then it would be a strong 5.

Great, only get this book if you want to make significant improvements to the quality of your products...
My only negative is how he treats Reliability/Testing and DOE as 2 seperate topics rather than in combination. But other than this, outstanding.

I purchased this book three years ago, when I took on work responsibility for testing and verification. After giving it a first and second read, I can safely say that it did not leave my bookshelf until I cleaned out my cube as I left for a different company.

The text is informative for those who have no background in the subject of true test engineering, but for those whose industries are governed by specific, required/mandatory methodologies, this book is not of much use. It is geared primarily to testing for the electronics industry, and even then only provides a "35,000 ft" view rather than the detail one would expect from an "engineering" book. Important (some would say essential) topics for reliability engineering (Arrhenius, Weibull, etc.) are mentioned but glossed over, leaving the reader to purchase additional $100+ volumes dealing with these subjects.

Again, if you're new to testing, it's a great introduction. If you have any exposure to the field, I would look elsewhere for more detailed reading.