TestLynk

"TestLynk increased our test group efficiency which enabled us to reduce the time to product validation. This reduces the overall project time line enabling us to put the product into production faster."

-Ed Heinz
Manager of Engineering Test
EZGO/Textron

   TestLynk was developed within actual engineering and testing departments in various major manufacturing industries to enable engineers to easily manage their test data for equipment and part items. These tests can range from prototype testing all the way to production testing and everything in between. This information then flows through the testing department where it enables them to activate, track, and easily maintain testing information and criteria. By keeping the system simple and straight forward, information is much easier to track, which in and of itself allows for much more detailed test results. This information is then easily communicated back to the original engineers to enable them to keep track of tests as they go, instead of having to be updated manually during company meetings.

The Problem...
   Most reliability engineering and testing manufacturers have developed in house testing programs that are usually patched together between different departments and can range from manual forms that have to be filled out, to electronic tracking systems that are not very well integrated between departments. There are very few applications on the market that attempt to integrate the different departments for purposes of managing testing data.

   Because the systems are very seldom integrated, departments tend to not communicate regularly because it's too hard to extract information in a meaningful form. Departments then begin to only communicate during company meetings where testing has to printout or compile in some manual form a result or synopsis of what has happened on each test. This takes an incredible amount of time on the part of the Testing department and natural mistakes can be made and information forgotten.

The Solution...
   TestLynk started out in life as a Consulting job for SofTek Software with a couple manufacturers. During the development process however, SofTek recognized the need for an off the shelf solution and therefore began developing TestLynk with this in mind. The solution as we saw it was linking engineering and testing together in a way that information could flow between departments without causing major headaches. This flow would have to be manageable in a manner that would be seamless and tightly integrated to enable both departments to enter their information as detailed as possible.

   By allowing for more detail, such as digital pictures of tested products, integration of advanced engineering graphing solutions, integration with common Word and Excel documents all the way down to being able to spell check submitted data, the solution would be able to capture the needed information. The problem however was developing TestLynk in a way that all departments involved would be able to understand their part in the life cycle of a test. To accomplish this, SofTek Software went into the different departments to capture their perspectives. To understand how things flow through Engineering and how they move through Testing would enable us to provide a solution like no other on the market.

   Other features of TestLynk tightly integrate Unit Allocation procedures, Item Number management, and Test Procedures and Processes into the application, allowing a single point of reference for anything test related.

   TestLynk is a result of not the Testing Departments needs, nor the Engineering Departments needs, but both combined. By approaching the problem from this perspective we were able to create one of the most advanced test management solutions on the market today.

Below are some highlights of the program that make TestLynk a useful tool for engineering and testing as a group. By using TestLynk, we believe that communication between the engineers and testing personnel is improved.

   The Main Test Request Info tab gives the Requesting Engineer the resources to enter information about the test request into the different fields.

Description of Test Tab

   The Description of Test tab allows the requesting engineer and/or the testing manager to enter various aspects of the test:

• Background/Purpose of the test.
• Pre/Post instructions.
• Description/Procedures of the test.
• Pass/Fail criteria.
• Summary of the test.

Items to be Tested Tab

   The Items to be Tested tab allows the engineers to assign particular parts to a test request. The engineer can also assign multiple parts to a single test request.

MTBF / MTBI Graph

   The Mean Time Between Incidents/Failures graph gives you a way to see the increasing or decreasing value of the incidents and failures as the test progresses. If the engineer sees that the test is going to fail long before the required amount of time then the engineer can pull the test and address the problem before any more resources are used.

   Along with the main tabs that are on the surface of this program, there are many other advanced features that make TestLynk a premiere software application for the engineering and testing world.

Advanced Features...

• 32-bit Windows based program.
• Tracks and calculates MTBI and MTBF.
• Capable of attaching a read-only description of what the specified test type means.
• Keeps track of the hours/cycles/miles to date on the test unit and also where the test unit is located.
• Includes a maintenance planner that tells the company when a test unit needs to be serviced.
• Notifies the requesting engineer, by their request, via e-mail if there is an incident or failure during the test.
• Capable of attaching pictures, excel spreadsheets, and word documents to the test request.
• Shortcut keys that make the use of TestLynk even easier.
• Includes a Daily Form where the testing technician can input all of his data gathered during the test.
• Includes a Parts Module that keeps track of all of your parts that get tested.
• Includes a Unit Allocation Module that keeps track of all of your units and also allows your engineers or testing personnel to request a test unit.
• Capable of book marking a specified test request.
• Printable reports.
• Capable of sorting your test requests.
• Spell checker.

Please contact a TestLynk Sales Representative for more information at 330.747.2930 or email us at TestLynk.

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