This paper is an interim status report on implementation of a company wide Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)/Total Quality Management (TQM) initiative dealing with cost, technology, and organizational problems associated with development and transfer of electronicdavionics test strategies from prime equipment design to manufacturing test and subsequently to depot level maintenance. This engineering-to-manufacturing-tofield test concept was the topic of an initial technical paper at Autotestcon '91 [I].This interim status report highlights the concerns, problems and tentative solutions to implementing a company wide common ATE architecture for commercial airlines, Air Force, Army, and Navy programs. Many questions are still unanswered, but the initiative and interim implementation continues.
-The overall goals of the engineering-to-manufacturing-tofield (E-M-F) initiative have not changed. They are: (1) to significantly reduce electronicdavionics test development costs: and (2) to improve the quality of manufacturing and depot test program sets. These goals are addressed by developing "common" test hardware and test software implementations that are usable across the vertical engineering-t~manufacturing-to-~eld development cycle of specific electmnicdavionics products and, eventually, horizontally across program (commercial airlines, Air Force. Army and Navy) support boundaries.Promote a rmunon test strategy for sofrware and hardware phforms.
5.m CH3148-4/ 92/OOOO-0313 $1 .0001992 IEEE