The introduction to the blog series that are my short essays and discussion topics called Musings on reliability and maintenance topics. Join me as I explore a wide range of topics from leadership to techniques. Join the discussion and contribute you ideas. cheers, Fred

1. f msreliabilit y.com http://www.fmsreliability.com/education/intro-musings/
Musings on reliability and maintenance topics
Introduction to Musings on reliability and maintenance topics
I write quite a bit about reliability, and have plans to write quite a bit more. I have looked to prolif ic authors in
our f ield with admiration and respect: Wayne Nelson, Patrick O’Connor or Terrence O’Hanlon, they all share so
much knowledge. They make the subjects and material clear and accessible. They have in large part helped me
all throughout my career by enabling my ability to solve problems and create value.
Of course, there are many others that have contributed to my career and my approach to engineering. My
colleagues, managers, and mentors have each helped to educate and develop my skills and approach. Every
single client has also contributed. As many of you have heard f rom me, I learn f rom every encounter and f eel
very f ortunate to have a career that enables such wonderf ul exploration and learning as part of my day-to-day
work.
I write essays f or NoMTBF.com encouraging you to avoid using MTBF or at least understand what it means and
what it doesn’t. I write tutorial pieces f or CRE preparation on WordPress (creprep.wordpress.com) in an ef f ort
to build a review site with a body of knowledge f or those preparing f or the ASQ CRE certif ication exam. I curate
and create much of the content on the site reliabilitycalendar.org which has a growing collection of
prof essional development options f or reliability and maintainability prof essionals.
My collected published or presented work is on this site embedded f rom Slideshare. See my Hoc Opus f or my
growing list of papers and presentations. I’m working on more articles and presentations, so I expect that list
to continue to grow.
Musings Blog

2. This brings me back to the introduction to this blog. Here I intend to write about reliability and maintenance
engineering as a prof ession. I’ll write about my experiences, questions, approaches and, yes, musings. I’ve
enjoyed a great career and have learned so much. I regularly f ield questions on Linkedin in various groups or
f rom email concerning how to get started, how to move ahead, how to f ind a position, and how to improve
value provided. I have worked with thousands of engineers and managers in hundreds of organizations to
improve product reliability and asset availability. I can write with experience.
I’m working on two book chapters and two books. As they come to press I’ll be certain to keep updates posted
here, yet, those that f ollow this blog will see much of that material as it is being developed. I f ind writing
regularly f or the NoMTBF and CREPrep blogs good practice to work out thoughts and concepts, to explore
ways to articulate and clearly share my approaches and thoughts. So, in support of my continued writing
ef f orts, I will use this blog as a means to practice, share and look f or f eedback.
The topics will continue to evolve, yet will initially involve reliability management, program and project planning,
goal setting, basic tools and techniques, determining value, and accelerated testing. These are the topics on
my list of book and article writing commitments. This list will continue to grow as I explore interesting topics, as
I receive f eedback about what is interesting and important f rom you. I expect to write weekly if possible and
monthly as a minimum. We’ll see how it develops.
Your Role
Please comment, ask questions, suggest topics, and if you’d like submit blog entries (guest posts are most
welcome). Mostly, I expect you to join the discussion and continue to learn. There are many sources f or
prof essional development I hope to become a key source f or you and your career.
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