TS EN IEC 60300-3-14

TS EN IEC 60300-3-14 is an application guide within dependability management that explains supportability and support, and how they relate to reliability, maintainability and availability. Its focus is not limited to keeping an item operational; it also addresses how the surrounding support arrangements are planned so the item can be operated, maintained, refurbished and kept aligned with its intended purpose over time.

What supportability and support mean in practice

In general technical terms, supportability describes how effectively an item can be supported throughout its life cycle so that its required performance can continue. Support is the broader set of enabling activities and resources, such as spares, maintenance readiness, technical information, training, logistics and organisational arrangements. Taken together, these concepts move beyond product design alone and include the operating and maintenance environment that makes sustained value possible.

The planning framework this standard provides

The standard guides the planning and implementation of supportability and support activities for newly designed items, commercially procured existing items and items already in operational life. It states that these activities may be tailored to the nature of the item and its conditions of use, with attention to achieving a desired balance of performance, cost and risk. Life cycle risk management is central, because support decisions affect how an item is created, operated, maintained and refurbished in order to fulfil its stated purpose.

• Aligning organisational structure with objectives to improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Applying supportability and support activities across different life cycle stages
• Understanding the relationship with reliability, maintainability and availability
• Considering trade-offs between support, cost, performance and risk

This second edition cancels and replaces the 2004 first edition and has been technically revised for consistency with IEC TC 56 core dependability standards. In broad terms, the document frames supportability as a dependability attribute that depends on both technical provisions and organisational capability, rather than on maintenance practice alone.