Skip to content

Chapter 10 — A Recipe for Reliability

10.1 Reliability is not accidental

Dunnicliff's "recipe for reliability" distills the ingredients of monitoring that actually produces trustworthy data. Miss an ingredient and the result suffers. The ingredients fall into themes:

10.2 The ingredient themes

  • Selection — the right instrument for the question and environment.
  • Procurement — specify performance, calibration, and spares.
  • Installation — skilled, documented, verified.
  • Calibration — factory and field, with traceability.
  • Reading — competent people, correct frequency, validated.
  • Maintenance — scheduled checks and prompt repair.
  • Data handling — validated, archived, retrievable.
  • People — trained, accountable, empowered to report bad news.

The recipe echoes the chain of 25 links (Chapter 14): from defining the need through to a reading that informs a decision, every step must hold. A program is only as strong as its weakest link — usually installation or reading, not the sensor.

10.4 Where programs fail

The recurring weak links are:

  • Instruments installed but never saturated, grouted, or referenced correctly.
  • Readings taken but never validated or plotted.
  • Data filed and forgotten, with no one interpreting trend.
  • Personnel afraid or unempowered to raise concerns.

10.5 Making reliability routine

  • Write the recipe into the project's monitoring plan.
  • Assign clear ownership of each ingredient.
  • Audit the chain periodically — especially after staff or contractor changes.

Treat the recipe as a checklist

Convert the ingredient themes into a living checklist reviewed at each project milestone. A checked checklist is evidence the chain is intact.

10.6 Key takeaways

  • Reliability has identifiable ingredients; missing any weakens the result.
  • Weak links are usually installation, reading, and interpretation — not sensors.
  • Empowered, competent people are an ingredient, not overhead.
  • Review the recipe at every milestone.