Handboook of Performability Engineering

Citation

Kontoleon, J. (2009), "Handboook of Performability Engineering", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 406-407. https://doi.org/10.1108/02656710910950388

In a time span of almost 30 years, performability has reached its stage, where it implies a wide spectrum of attributes covering not only dependability but also sustainability in an integrated and intertwined manner. Performability engineering, as we understand today, not only emphasizes the performance requirements of a product but also the production processes that ought to minimize environmental pollution and necessitates minimal amount of energy and raw materials. This unique handbook covers all major aspects related to performability engineering. Professor Krishna Misra, the editor, in the preface states: “the theme is unique and comprises a well‐knitted theme of diverse and yet related areas like quality, reliability, maintainability, safety, risk, environmental impacts and sustainability“. Thus, in covering this broad scope, this handbook provides a platform for integrating and evaluating all interwoven issues of system performance. The handbook has 76 chapters, which are grouped into ten main sections exploring the importance of the various aspects of Performability Engineering.

Section 1 includes seven contributions on the many disciplines involved in the general area of system design. The presentations reflect a holistic view of the various stages involved from conception to production of systems and services, starting from design and ending to disposal. In overall, this section covers comprehensive topics such as system design and optimization, environmental objectives, product quality, reliability and safety standards, dependability and sustainability. Sections 2 and 3, with 11 contributions, deal with issues of engineering management and quality engineering and management. The sections take readers from the principles of scientific management and dynamic globalization to performance economy and to the integration of ecological, economic and social dimensions in industrial activities. The chapters included cover such useful topics as total quality management (TQM) and quality engineering, ISO 9000, process control, design for six sigma, robust design and engineering process control.

Section 4 comprises 18 contributions covering a variety of reliability engineering topics, such as reliability growth, load‐sharing models, k‐out‐of‐n:G systems, coverage models, reliability of phased‐mission systems, discrete‐time semi‐Markov systems, binary decision diagrams, graphical reliability analysis of industrial systems, time‐dependent and cycle‐dependent reliability models, measures and models for multi‐state systems (MSS), performance distribution of MSS, optimization of MSS, application of possibility theory and evidence theory, reliability optimization and redundancy allocation, product validation testing and accelerated life‐testing. The reader, therefore, is exposed to a wide spectrum of methods and tools for analyzing system reliability. Sections 5 to 6 comprise nine contributions on reliability and risk methodology, risk management and safety. The chapters included deal with issues of modeling count data in risk analysis, fault‐tree analysis, modeling of common‐cause failures, human failure models and effects, risk analysis and management, accident analysis and safety control functions, probabilistic risk assessment, risk acceptance, risk governance, decision making and management strategies to cope with risk. The chapters included are diverse and reflect the importance of the different aspects of risk methodology. Issues on maintenance engineering and maintainability are discussed in section 7, with 5 contributions. The presentations included provide well‐elaborated approaches with respect to maintenance, maintenance management and optimization, replacement and preventive and predictive maintenance models as well as optimal condition‐based maintenance decision‐making.

In section 8 the concept of sustainability is presented in nine contributions. The content of this section provides an excellent introduction to sustainability and sustainable technology and highlights issues like environmental pollution, industrial ecology, material conservation, energy and waste minimization, dematerialization and sustainability metrics and indicators. To stay abreast with sustainable developments, issues related to biotechnology and nanotechnology are also included. In overall, this section takes a holistic view of all product‐development processes together with the associated ecological impact and the goal to maximize product performance. Undoubtedly, it stimulates the interest in the development of sustainable products, systems and services. Section 9 presents 12 selected contributions focusing on performability applications in the areas of current interest, aiming to generate further work in these areas of importance. Finally, section 10 comprises four contributions that address issues related to software engineering and applications.

The goal of this voluminous handbook is to expose the engineers, technologists and managers to the principles and applications of performability engineering; it stresses that the products and systems need to be not only dependable but also sustainable. In my opinion, this goal has been adequately achieved by the diversity of selected contributions that highlight the richness, plurality and importance of performability engineering. I expect that this handbook to become an essential asset to practicing engineers, technologists, managers and researchers with interests in the development of the sustainable products, systems or services with emphasis on the holistic requirements of today's world.