DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS AND METHODS

The present invention relates to systems and methods for diagnosing undesirable events or the lack of desirable events representing product or process malfunctions. One aspect of the invention includes a method for determining a cause of a malfunction event in a prototype or production product or process. Another aspect of the invention includes a method for identifying evidence of deviation from a specification for a product or process. Still another aspect of the invention includes a method for ascertaining the reliability of a product or process. The present invention also provides a diagnostic computer system and computer program code for performing various methods embodying different aspects of the present invention. A computer system for training a user to diagnose and apply corrective action to a malfunctioning product or process is also provided.