38 8. RELIABILITY TO TRUST
increasingly difficult to apply such data-driven statistics approach. In addition, customers are
now asking for the reliability of their own products. ey say, “What I am asking about is My
Product. I do not care what other products are.”
Such reliability of an individual product is called TRUST. Now, customers are asking for
trust, instead of traditional reliability, which reliability engineering has long pursued based on
data-driven statistics. In other words, conventional reliability is very much producer-centric.
Now customers are asking for customer-focused approach.
To understand the difference between reliability and trust more clearly, let us compare
hardware and software development.
8.3 HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT
Hardware is developed with fixed functions. It is developed to meet the design specifications
and before shipping a prototype is produced to verify whether it really satisfies the design re-
quirements (Fig. 8.2).
Design
Function
Degradation
Restore
Shipping
Verification
Hardware
(Delivery of Finished Product)
Production
Maintenance
in Use
Figure 8.2: Hardware development.
We must remember the quality which the producer guarantees is the product quality at
the time of shipping. e product deteriorates once it is shipped to a customer.
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
In the early stages, software was developed in the same way as hardware. In the early 1960s, there
were software development facilities called “software factories,” which clearly indicates people
did not realize the difference between hardware and software.
8.3. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT 39
But, difference between hardware and software was soon realized. So, software engineers
changed their system development, as shown in Fig. 8.3.
Function
Software (Continuous Prototyping)
Validation
Customizing
Function
Shipping Use
Figure 8.3: Software development.
e fundamental difference between this new software development and the old one is
this new way is the development of growing functions.
Functions grow with time. Software developers introduced new prototyping approach
called continuous prototyping. ey confirm at every stage if the functions grow in response to the
customer expectations. us, this is very much customer-focused. But what is more important
is that this way of development really answered the customers’ expectation of trust.
In the case of software development, first the basic functions are provided. en, when the
customers get used to them and they expect an upgraded version, software developers provide a
little bit upgraded version. is step-by-step upgrading continues. us, it is called continuous
prototyping.
What is important for the producer is when customers get used to the system and feel
confident with using it, then they put trust in the system. And once when they put trust in the
system, the system becomes “MY system” and they start asking for upgrades. ey would not
go to other systems which have higher functions. So, to software developers, they can secure
lifetime customers and they can understand what their customers expect next. us, if they can
satisfy such customer expectations, customers will stick to the system and are likely to grow with
the system.
is way, software developers solved the problem of how they can build up trust and how
they can satisfy the human needs of self-determination and growth.
Interestingly, in English, we use different words, confidence and trust. But in German,
they use the same word “Vertrauen.” Indeed, trust in yourself is confidence and trust in other
things is trust. ere is no difference.
40 8. RELIABILITY TO TRUST
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: FROM ANOTHER
ANGLE
Let us look at the difference of hardware and software development from another angle.
Hardware development is carried out in an open-loop manner (Fig. 8.4).
Plan Act
Do
Figure 8.4: Open loop.
On the other hand, software is developed in a closed-loop manner (Fig. 8.5). In a closed-
loop approach, the customer’s voice is, naturally, always fed back so that customer’s expectations
are very well met and satisfied, and such growing function development can be carried out.
Plan Act
Do
St
udy
Figure 8.5: Closed loop.
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Donald A. Schon published the book e Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals ink in Acton
in 1984 [17], but the idea of reflective practice has been known for a long time. In fact, it means
to improve the way you work based on your own experience. So, in a way, everybody is doing
this. But what is important is that the idea of reflective practice is nothing other than the closed
loop approach and software developers make the most of it. In fact, reflective practice is a way
for us to gain confidence. is may be interpreted as an example of how important processes are.
ECONOMIC EXPECTATIONS: SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM
It may interest you to know that John M. Keynes, British economist and known for Keyne-
sian economics, teaches that short-term expectations can be made based on mathematical ap-
proaches, but when it comes to long-term, they do economic expectations on the basis of their
confidence [18].
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