An approach to evaluation of quality of complex systems/equipment

Abstract

Fast technology development (Industry 4.0/5.0) and the increasing complexity of systems/equipment, combined with limited resources, increasing inflation rates and reduced capital investment opportunities, require the implementation of systems that include high reliability and availability, with minimal life cycle costs. This imposes new requirements regarding the technological processes of production, operation and maintenance. In addition, modern complex systems/equipment are mostly based on computers due to rapid technological advances in microelectronics, microprocessors and computing. Investment in the process of modernization and further development of systems/equipment and/or maintaining the level of their availability is often carried out on a large scale. Complex systems/equipment include: various military and commercial C3 systems, nomenclature systems, production systems, production control systems, eco-product development process, complex medical equipment... Such systems also include water supply systems for drinking water supply, which are managed by water supply organizations. Before starting any modernization of a complex system/equipment, it is necessary to assess its quality and only then, based on the quality analysis, approach its modernization. For the purposes of evaluating the quality of a complex system/equipment, it is necessary to divide it into a series of basic objects: documentation, personnel potential, personnel education, hardware, software... Quality assessments of individual basic objects, taken with a certain weight, give the possibility to evaluate the quality of the observed complex system/equipment. The quality assessment of each object of a complex system/equipment is performed according to a hierarchical model with three levels. Quality factors (correctness, reliability, efficiency...) are at the highest level. At the intermediate level the quality criteria representing the properties of the facilities are necessary in order to satisfy the required quality factors (consistency, traceability, operability, standardization, possibility of training...). At the lowest level is the quality metric (requirements, questions, quantitative relations, etc.), which provides a quantitative assessment of the considered object. The paper will specifically consider the basic facility of the water supply system: the technical system for water delivery (raw water pipelines, main drinking water pipelines, water network of pipes to consumers, water pipe installations in commercial/residential buildings...).