How Much Reliability Data Is Enough?

How Much Reliability Data Is Enough?

Some may argue that just enough reliability data is just the right amount. Too much may lead to confusion, too little doesn’t inform well. The reliability work we do helps others make decisions, and recent work in how humans make decisions may help us prepare and present our results effectively.

If preparing reliability data-based recommendations, consider using less information. Ed O’Brien and Nadav Klein have found decision-makers tend to use much less data or information to make a decision than they think they will need.

If using data and the derived information to make a decision consider the situation carefully to know when to use a structured decision-making approach or to simply go with your gut. Daniel Kahneman and Gary Klein provide some insights and basic guidelines for decision making.

Information and Decision Making

Does your team carefully review all available information before making important reliability-related decision? Probably not. Yet, they probably want the risk analysis, reliability modelling, test results, and more before sitting down to make a decision.

In a series of experiments, O’Brien and Klein found people used less information to make a…