Monitoring reliability under competing risks using field data

Abstract Many modern products fail due to one of multiple causes called competing risks. In this article, we propose variable features for monitoring product failure by control charts under competing risks. Failure reports arrive one at a time from a sample of population of units. Features are derived from both the reports and the assumed competing-risk statistical model. To assess the efficacy of different feature subsets in detecting shifts in the failure-time process, we consider control charts based on random forests and compare the average run length performances under different shift scenarios. We demonstrate the control charts with both simulated data sets and actual field data set from a consulting problem. We also propose graphical fault-diagnosis methods for identifying assignable causes of alarm signals. Control charts based on the proposed features will provide valuable information to manufacturers in planning for warranty, part-replacement, or repair.