A managerial perspective of reliability engineering

The relationship of Reliability Engineering to other disciplines, its purpose, and its function in the scheme of organization is a subject of continual concern. This paper views Reliability Engineering as a managerial tool to assist management and its engineering staff in accomplishing the purposes of an enterprise. The risk of unreliability is discussed with emphasis on the risk which the supplier takes each time a contract is signed. The factors which determine reliability of a product are succinctly stated. These two considerations, managerial risk and the factors which determine reliability, establish a purpose and a function for the Reliability Engineer which are discussed from the viewpoint of the contribution of Reliability Engineering as a managerial tool.