TS EN IEC 60300-3-14

TS EN IEC 60300-3-14 is an application guide in dependability management focused on supportability and support, and on how these concepts relate to reliability, maintainability and availability. It gives guidance for planning and implementing supportability and support activities across a product or item life cycle, with the aim of balancing performance, cost and risk in a controlled way.

What supportability and support mean in practice

In general technical terms, supportability concerns an item’s ability to be sustained in its intended use through the right mix of resources: maintenance strategy, spare parts, information, personnel, logistics and service arrangements. Support is the set of managerial, procurement, maintenance, repair, training, documentation and supply-chain activities that make that sustainment possible. The distinction matters because supportability is often influenced by design and life-cycle decisions, while support is delivered through organizational and operational processes.

According to the scope of this document, the guidance can be applied at any stage of an item’s life. It is relevant to newly designed items, commercially procured existing items, and items already in operational service. The document also emphasises the life-cycle implications of formally managing risks linked to activities that create, operate, maintain and refurbish an item so it can achieve its stated purpose. In other words, supportability is treated as a value driver, not only as a maintenance concern.

Aligning structure, decisions and life-cycle value

A sound support model is more than technical provision. If an organisation’s structure is not aligned with its objectives, even well-designed assets can become costly or difficult to sustain. This standard highlights the importance of improving efficiency and effectiveness so the required supportability and support can actually be delivered. That makes it especially relevant where trade-offs between cost, performance and risk must be managed over long service lives.

• Reliability concerns the likelihood that an item will perform its required function under stated conditions for a stated period.
• Maintainability addresses how readily and effectively an item can be maintained or restored.
• Availability describes the degree to which an item is in a state to perform when required.
• Supportability focuses on the resources and arrangements needed to sustain those dependability outcomes.