We previously looked at reliability requirements and targets, and where the numbers behind them often come from. Before those numbers are defined, however, there is a more fundamental question to consider:
What outcomes is reliability actually intended to support?
This is where reliability goals and objectives come in.
Reliability goals express intent, describing why reliability is important for a system and what success looks like from an operational, safety or business perspective.
Reliability objectives translate that intent into focus areas that guide engineering decisions as the system is designed, tested and supported.
In simple terms:
- Goals explain why reliability matters
- Objectives help define where effort should be directed
A reliability goal might be to ensure that a system consistently delivers its required mission capability. Supporting objectives could include reducing mission aborts caused by critical subsystem failures, ensuring failures can be detected and recovered quickly, or prioritising reliability improvements where the operational consequences of failure are greatest.
When goals and objectives are missing
Problems arise when this connection is missing. Goals remain implicit rather than explicitly stated, objectives are defined in isolation from operational reality, or reliability activity drifts towards whatever is easiest to measure rather than what most reduces risk.
When that happens, reliability work can become technically sound but strategically misaligned.
Goals and objectives as decision anchors
From a reliability engineering perspective, goals and objectives act as decision anchors. They help teams prioritise effort, navigate trade-offs and avoid optimising metrics that do little to improve real-world performance.
They also need to remain visible throughout the lifecycle. As designs mature, assumptions are tested and operational understanding improves, goals and objectives may need to be refined rather than quietly forgotten.
Reliability engineering is not just about meeting numerical requirements. It is about ensuring that engineering effort remains aligned with the outcomes the organisation actually cares about.
Well-defined goals do not guarantee reliable systems, but poorly defined ones almost guarantee confusion. Reliability engineers add value by continually checking that the analysis performed, the tests planned and the requirements set support the outcomes the system is expected to deliver.
Next up…
Reliability Bites #14: Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) – prevention vs reaction
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