Survey Use to Validate Engineering Methodology and Enhance System Safety

Surveys and the resulting data provide powerful insights to an item or concept being assessed. Not only do they garner feedback that can be used to enhance the item, but, in the instance of this article, they can enhance the validity of positive change via novel concepts prior to spending the time and money in incorporating these concepts and running the risk of negligible meaningful return. In an effort to ensure the validity of proposed novel methods in a design engineering context, a survey was developed and administered to engineering subject matter experts. This was done to not only ensure that the proposed methods would be viable if implemented but gave confidence in the results of the research that drove the method development. This assessment activity served as a risk reduction activity to ensure smooth implementation of the methods from both an efficiency standpoint and, most importantly, as part of maximizing system safety. This paper discusses the composition and considerations of the survey administered in the research study, in addition to the survey results with the intention of providing a format for others in a similar context to glean from and, if practical, replicate the method.