This handbook provides "how to" guidance to industry and government for the reliability Activities and Methods contained in ANSI/GEIA-STD-0009 for developing reliable products and systems, successfully demonstrating them during test and evaluation, and sustaining them throughout the system/product life cycle.

Objective 1: Understand Customer/User Requirements and constraints. The team (developer, customer, and user), includes the Activities necessary to ensure that the user's requirements and product needs are fully understood and defined, so that a comprehensive design specification and Reliability Program Plan are generated.

Objective 2: Design and redesign for reliability. The developer implements a set of engineering Activities so that the resulting system/product satisfies the customer's documented requirements and needs.

Objective 3: Produce reliable systems/products. The developer performs the Activities that assure the customer that the reliability requirements and product needs have been satisfied.

Objective 4: Monitor and assess user reliability. The team establishes a closed-loop feedback method for continuous monitoring of reliability trends and incorporation of recommended improvements (corrective actions) .

ANSI/GEIA-STD-0009 and this Handbook define a systematic approach to engineering a system/product, incorporating best practices that have evolved considerably in recent years.