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Article
Publication date: 1 April 2005

Christian N. Madu

This paper aims to examine the strategic value of reliability and maintainability management in achieving competitiveness and customer satisfaction. It looks into performance…

5620

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the strategic value of reliability and maintainability management in achieving competitiveness and customer satisfaction. It looks into performance metrics for organizational performance and associates reliability and maintainability with such metrics.

Design/methodology/approach

The design strategy is based on using models for reliability and profitability assessment as well as total quality management models to illustrate how performance metrics for organizational performance can be enhanced.

Findings

It shows there is a need to associate models of profitability assessment to reliability and maintainability management. This will help top management to see the strategic value of reliability and maintainability management and, therefore, adopt necessary organizational transformations to support reliability and maintainability goals.

Research limitations/implications

It is important that the role of reliability and maintainability as important strategic variables be recognized and considered in future research that evaluates organizational performance and successes.

Practical implications

The importance of organizational cultural transformation is noted and a transformation of organizational information system to link reliability management to a central information system such as in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) framework is suggested as a process of improving system availability and reliability.

Originality/value

The aim is to have top management perceive reliability and maintainability issues as part of their strategic initiatives. While the value of total quality management in achieving organizational success is well accepted, reliability and maintainability issues are often viewed at the operational level. Yet, they are critical to achieving quality and organizational success.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1997

Huei‐Yaw Ke and Ching‐Piao Hwang

Shows that the new ISO 9000‐4 has covered the dependability aspects of IEC 300‐1. Dependability is defined as a collective term used to describe availability performance and its…

1357

Abstract

Shows that the new ISO 9000‐4 has covered the dependability aspects of IEC 300‐1. Dependability is defined as a collective term used to describe availability performance and its influencing factors, such as reliability performance, maintainability performance and maintenance support performance. Among these factors, reliability is the major quality assessment of a product during the operation period. With reliability as a necessary requirement, the quality assurance activities taken by suppliers should be extended, especially to cover the survey of the environmental condition, and maintenance planning for the purposes of reliability assurance. Summarizes the characteristics of reliability assurance in the ISO 9000‐4 aspect and, by applying the system engineering concept, proposes a systematic approach for a reliability management programme based on ISO 9000‐4. Believes that, after tailoring in practices, the merits of this approach will be evident in project management.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2002

D.N.P. Murthy, A. Atrens and J.A. Eccleston

The approach to maintenance management has changed over the last one hundred years. Over the last few years, the Reliability Engineering and Risk Management Group (RERMG) at the…

11200

Abstract

The approach to maintenance management has changed over the last one hundred years. Over the last few years, the Reliability Engineering and Risk Management Group (RERMG) at the University of Queensland has developed an approach called the strategic maintenance management (SMM) approach. The paper outlines the approach and contrasts it with the current approaches. It then discusses the industry‐university partnership in the implementation of this approach and the current activities at the University of Queensland to assist industry in the implementation of the SMM approach.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Daniel Carnerud

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe research presented in the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management (IJQRM), thereby creating an increased…

1046

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe research presented in the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management (IJQRM), thereby creating an increased understanding of how the areas of research have evolved through the years. An additional purpose is to show how text mining methodology can be used as a tool for exploration and description of research publications.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies text mining methodologies to explore and describe the digital library of IJQRM from 1984 up to 2014. To structure and condense the data, k-means clustering and probabilistic topic modeling with latent Dirichlet allocation is applied. The data set consists of research paper abstracts.

Findings

The results support the suggestion of the occurrence of trends, fads and fashion in research publications. Research on quality function deployment (QFD) and reliability management are noted to be on the downturn whereas research on Six Sigma with a focus on lean, innovation, performance and improvement on the rise. Furthermore, the study confirms IJQRM as a scientific journal with quality and reliability management as primary areas of coverage, accompanied by specific topics such as total quality management, service quality, process management, ISO, QFD and Six Sigma. The study also gives an insight into how text mining can be used as a way to efficiently explore and describe large quantities of research paper abstracts.

Research limitations/implications

The study focuses on abstracts of research papers, thus topics and categories that could be identified via other journal publications, such as book reviews; general reviews; secondary articles; editorials; guest editorials; awards for excellence (notifications); introductions or summaries from conferences; notes from the publisher; and articles without an abstract, are excluded.

Originality/value

There do not seem to be any prior text mining studies that apply cluster modeling and probabilistic topic modeling to research article abstracts in the IJQRM. This study therefore offers a unique perspective on the journal’s content.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 34 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2009

Erin Kwong and W.B. Lee

The purpose of this paper is to identify the appropriate method, demonstrating with a prototype model, of how knowledge in reliability management can be elicited from individuals

2413

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the appropriate method, demonstrating with a prototype model, of how knowledge in reliability management can be elicited from individuals as well as a team.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is to elicit the tacit knowledge of the reliability engineers through narratives and cognitive mapping. With a sufficient number of cognitive maps, patterns are revealed and an aggregate cognitive map for all participating members is produced, which helps to summarize various approaches and procedures that can be taken in handling different reliability management issues.

Findings

The work provides a real‐life example to support the stages of learning from the individual, the group to the organizational level as described in the theoretical Learning Framework.

Research limitations/implications

Many knowledge management programs failed for various reasons. One common pitfall is that they are either too ambitious or too vague in the scope, methodology of their deliverables. To be successful, the project objectives should be linked to the business needs that lead to solving their business problems.

Practical implications

A prototype is developed in the organization of expertise knowledge in a bottom‐up manner in the building of a corporate memory from individuals to team level in the reliability management in an airline company.

Originality/value

This is the first study in the airline industry to capture the know‐how and experience of its reliability engineers in the form of congregate cognitive maps so as to facilitate team learning and the building of organizational memory. It is the first in the airline industry to adopt this methodology for developing its own procedure manuals. The model was implemented successfully in the Engineering Division of an airline business in order to handle their reliability management issues.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2012

P.A. Kostagiolas

The role of a reliability analysis for improving the performance of libraries and information services has become extremely crucial. The research question considered here is…

1043

Abstract

Purpose

The role of a reliability analysis for improving the performance of libraries and information services has become extremely crucial. The research question considered here is simple and can be summarized as follows: “How reliable is your library?”. Indeed, reliability considerations go beyond the issue of quality since they incorporate the dimension of time, i.e. they involve a number of different activities and operations that take place throughout the life‐cycle of a library system or service. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Inference modelling techniques based on both parametric and nonparametric methods are reviewed and presented together with illustrative examples. From a wide number of non‐parametric methods that have been made available for reliability estimation, the ones examined here are the Kaplan‐Meier and the Cumulative‐hazard methods. Furthermore, parametric methods and applications, which are based on the Weibull distributional model, are examined.

Findings

The nonparametric reliability modelling methods presented are simple to use and suitable for estimating the reliability of information systems and services directly from the available life data. The Weibull analysis is quite useful for a wide range of library management methods, financial applications, for modelling user behaviour within many library settings and systems i.e. digital information systems.

Originality/value

This is among the first implementations of reliability analysis in libraries and information services. This paper provides essential insight to library management researchers and practitioners on how they might incorporate into the library management agenda reliability considerations. The reliability modelling techniques presented can be employed with all types of information services, and not just libraries.

Article
Publication date: 20 July 2015

Roozbeh Hesamamiri, Mohammad Mahdavi Mazdeh, Mostafa Jafari and Kamran Shahanaghi

A perfect knowledge management (KM) initiative is one that achieves its objectives without any failure during a pre-defined period. However, KM implementation is not perfect in…

Abstract

Purpose

A perfect knowledge management (KM) initiative is one that achieves its objectives without any failure during a pre-defined period. However, KM implementation is not perfect in every organization as it requires substantial changes in organizational infrastructures, including culture, structure, and technology. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a model for assessing the reliability of KM to help organizations evaluate their ability to implement KM successfully by identifying key reliability variables, modeling the complex interaction structure among variables, and determining the probability of failure for each KM capability.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, relevant variables are identified by a thorough analysis of related references in literature. In order to determine the compound structure of complicated interactions among variables, a group-based approach is utilized. Based on the combined cognitive maps, a cognitive network is constructed as a framework for graphically representing the logical relationships between variables and capturing the uncertainty in the dependency among these variables using conditional probabilities. The applicability of the proposed approach and the efficacy of the model was verified and validated with data from a banking institution.

Findings

Results show that KM reliability can be defined by the degree to which required KM capabilities, including infrastructure and process capabilities, have the ability to perform as intended in a certain organizational environment. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that reliability assessment of KM through a hybrid approach of fuzzy cognitive map and Bayesian network is possible and useful.

Practical implications

The proposed reliability assessment model facilitates the process of understanding why and how failures occur in KM. Moreover, the proposed approach evaluates the probability of success for each variable as well as for the entire KM initiative. Therefore, it can provide insight for managers and executives into the degree of reliability for their existing KM and prevention of failures in vital factors through necessary actions.

Originality/value

The suggested approach to KM reliability assessment is a novel method that provides powerful arguments for a more holistic view of KM reliability factors, which is crucial for the successful implementation of KM.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 67 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 March 2018

Kanchan Das

The purpose of this paper is to create a resilient supply chain (SC) plan to contain disruptions and risks in the overall operations of a business.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to create a resilient supply chain (SC) plan to contain disruptions and risks in the overall operations of a business.

Design/methodology/approach

The study integrates resilience considerations in a business planning model that formulates resilience performance (RP) of SC functions in terms of flexibility, reliability, and similar system factors. It evaluates the RP of SC plans and determines their vulnerability considering required and planned resources. The model estimates the possible effects of disasters on vulnerable functions using a scenario-based analysis and plans containment options. It also includes decision options for deploying resources to achieve the expected levels of resilience by preventing potential vulnerabilities. The model takes optimum decision in a what-if approach by comparing performance of the existing business plan, with options for containing the vulnerabilities inherent in not considering potential risks when planning to fulfill market demand, and the performance of a resilient plan that includes decision options to prevent vulnerabilities where possible and mitigate them otherwise.

Findings

It is possible, for example, to evaluate RP of SC plans, identify vulnerable functions, and decide optimum option to create resilient business system.

Research limitations/implications

The present study takes a generic approach and creates bases to explore its application in any industry-based case.

Originality/value

The research introduces formulations for RPs and vulnerability indices that can be included in a planning model to create a resilient SC.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 35 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2019

Seyed Ashkan Zarghami and Indra Gunawan

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to shift away from an exclusive probabilistic viewpoint or a pure network theory-based perspective for vulnerability assessment of…

321

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to shift away from an exclusive probabilistic viewpoint or a pure network theory-based perspective for vulnerability assessment of infrastructure networks (INs), toward an integrated framework that accounts for joint considerations of the consequences of component failure as well as the component reliability.

Design/methodology/approach

This work introduces a fuzzy inference system (FIS) model that deals with the problem of vulnerability analysis by mapping reliability and centrality to vulnerability. In the presented model, reliability and centrality are first fuzzified, then 16 different rules are defined and finally, a defuzzification process is conducted to obtain the model output, termed the vulnerability score. The FIS model developed herein attempts to explain the linkage between reliability and centrality so as to evaluate the degree of vulnerability for INs elements.

Findings

This paper compared the effectiveness of the vulnerability score in criticality ranking of the components against the conventional vulnerability analysis methods. Comparison of the output of the proposed FIS model with the conventional vulnerability indices reveals the effectiveness of the vulnerability score in identifying the criticality of components. The model result showed the vulnerability score decreases by increasing reliability and decreasing centrality.

Practical implications

Two key practical implications for vulnerability analysis of INs can be drawn from the suggested FIS model in this research. First, the maintenance strategy based on the vulnerability analysis proposed herein will provide an expert facilitator that helps infrastructure utilities to identify and prioritize the vulnerabilities. The second practical implication is especially valuable for designing an effective risk management framework, which allows for least cost decisions to be made for the protection of INs.

Originality/value

As part of the first contribution, we propose a novel fuzzy-based vulnerability assessment model in building a qualitative and quantitative picture of the vulnerability of INs. The second contribution is especially valuable for vulnerability analysis of INs by virtue of offering a key to understanding the component vulnerability principle as being constituted by the component likely behavior as well as the component importance in the network.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 September 2013

Roozbeh Hesamamiri, Mohammad Mahdavi Mazdeh and Mostafa Jafari

As a way of assessing the ability of organizations to discover and manage unexpected failures in organizational capabilities of knowledge management (KM), this study aims to…

1224

Abstract

Purpose

As a way of assessing the ability of organizations to discover and manage unexpected failures in organizational capabilities of knowledge management (KM), this study aims to develop a measurement instrument that involves the five reliability dimensions of preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify interpretations, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise.

Design/methodology/approach

To generate measurement items, previous research related to organizational reliability, high reliability theory, mindfulness, and required organizational capabilities of KM was reviewed. The measurement instrument was then verified in terms of reliability and validity, empirically using data from 240 companies in North America. Internal consistency of measurements, measurement item reliability, and construct reliability were examined to ensure the reliability of the instrument. Based on confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling, construct validity was also tested.

Findings

The reliability evaluation instrument for KM suggested in this study was constructed with four dimensions, preoccupation with failure in KM, sensitivity to KM operations, commitment to resilience in KM, and deference to expertise. The related measurement items were also identified.

Practical implications

This instrument is useful for researchers and executives looking for appropriate outcomes through the implementation of KM initiatives. Furthermore, the study provides a starting point for further research on KM reliability.

Originality/value

To date, while many of the KM success or failure studies have relied on developing success factors or organizational capability requirements, few studies have been conducted to identify evaluation measures that can assess the cognitive infrastructure that enables simultaneous adaptive learning and provides organizational reliability infrastructure through the management of unwanted, unanticipated, and unexplainable failures in KM-required capabilities.

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