Defense Electronics & Ruggedized Systems worked example

Mission-Critical Quality Cost at 58% program exposure included: a worked example

This worked example runs the mission-critical quality cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 58% program exposure included instead of the typical 80%. Estimate quality cost tied to defense electronics inspection, failure containment, MRB, rework, retest, scrap, and customer escapes.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Quality events or affected assemblies: 100 events (held at the documented default)
  • Cost per quality event: 45 $ / event (held at the documented default)
  • Program exposure included: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)
  • Fixed containment and MRB cost: 250 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Exposed quality event cost = quality events or affected assemblies × cost per quality event × program exposure included.
  • Total mission-critical quality cost works out to 2,860 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Quality cost per event works out to 28.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Exposed quality event cost works out to 2,610 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed containment and MRB cost works out to 250 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where program exposure included sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 25.71% below the baseline at 2,860 $.
  • Use it when building a cost-of-poor-quality case, sizing quality reserves, or prioritizing corrective actions on a defense electronics program. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total mission-critical quality cost: 2,860 $ (headline result)
  • Quality cost per event: 28.6 $ / piece
  • Exposed quality event cost: 2,610 $
  • Fixed containment and MRB cost: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Mission-Critical Quality Cost calculator, set program exposure included to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.