At R.A.M.S. Europe 2025, our colleague Elly van den Bliek tackled a classic engineering dilemma: How can you predict the reliability and availability of a complex system when the failure and repair data is incomplete—or even unreliable?
Even in complex, fault-tolerant systems – where you know the design, components and failure modes – failure and repair data is often incomplete or uncertain. Yet it’s still possible to move forward with confidence.
The challange:
How do you assess the reliability and availability of systems that are designed not to fail? Systems with redundancy, voting logic and recovery mechanisms?
And what do you do when the data you need is missing, fragmented or unreliable?
That’s exactly what Elly addressed in her session.
That’s the question Elly tackled on stage.
The approach:
Elly demonstrated how you can combine: - FTA (Fault Tree Analysis), - Markov modelling (to include maintenance and repair actions), and - Monte Carlo simulation (to deal with uncertainty)
to still create meaningful insights and forecasts.
The key is to embrace uncertainty as part of the data landscape. When used correctly, these methods turn limitations into opportunities.
Why it matters:
Availability isn’t automatic. Even with redundancy, system performance relies on proactive thinking. By working smartly with imperfect data, you avoid surprises and strengthen decision-making.
That’s what we believe at Holland Innovative: work with what you do know – and use it to move forward.
Ready to explore reliability hands-on?
Our fall courses give you the tools and techniques to tackle uncertain data and complex systems with confidence:
🔗 Or dive into the full Reliability Foundation Program in our blog here.
📞 Want tailored advice? Let’s connect you with an expert.
Conclusion:
R.A.M.S. Europe 2025 proved that even uncertain data holds value—if you know how to use it. The right techniques and mindset turn ambiguity into action. Let’s keep improving system resilience, one decision at a time.
Let’s keep learning, sharing, and raising the bar for system reliability—together.