Uptime is now in its 3rd edition
My book, “Uptime – Strategies for Excellence in Maintenance Management”, now in its 3rd edition includes a chapter on “Evidence Based Asset Management”. It emphasizes the use of historical data, enhanced (substantially in most cases) by “evidence” from experts obtained through a structured interview process of “knowledge elicitation.”
The questions asked are not leading, they are designed to get at reliability related information from the experiences of those who generally do not understand the mathematics of reliability. That process is painstakingly accurate and tedious. Projects that I was involved in, involved highly educated reliability and data science experts, and took upwards of 6 months to produce analytical results that could be used.
That was published in 2015. Since then, and more specifically in the 2020’s we’ve seen rapid growth in machine learning, artificial intelligence and the “automation” of data analytics. That part of the 3rd edition is somewhat out of data in terms of methods, but the underlying “science” behind it is as valid today as ever. There is a need to speak about analytics and artificial intelligence as a natural extension of what is currently in “Uptime” 3rd edition.
Will there be a 4th?
Consequently, I’ve been asked many times about a 4th edition of “Uptime”. I’ve given it a lot of thought and the answer is a somewhat qualified “no.”
“Uptime” has evolved through its 3 editions. The first catered to managers. The 2nd responded to demands by maintainers for more depth, and included summaries for managers. The third attempted to do both more deeply. It added a focus on data and evidence-based decision making, while bridging the gap between maintenance and asset management thinking. That gap that largely still exists. That evolution saw the book grow from 183 pages, through 342, and then to 473 pages.
I’ve written other books intended to show the business case for maintenance (Paying Your Way) and educate managers on maintenance fundamentals (Uptime for Executives). But, the dots are not yet all connected as well as they need to be. Business schools and engineering programs do not address maintenance as either a business nor technical function. There is also a need to address the biggest problem faced by maintenance and reliability professionals – their bosses.
What is needed?
Another need exists that has more to do with publishing. It’s time for Uptime to appear in multiple language editions. There is a huge market for this material in non-English speaking countries around the world. Uptime has always been published in English only in the USA. The 2nd edition was officially translated into Japanese, and unofficially translated into Farsi. Yet others are asking for it!
I speak at conferences around the world and many are in Latin America. There is a big demand for Uptime in both Spanish and Portuguese. The Spanish speaking LATAM market is almost 1/3 larger than the English-speaking population of North America. The Brazilian market speaks their own form of Portuguese and is easily more than half as large as the English-speaking western hemisphere.
As a Canadian, I also feel the need to cater to our Francophone market – world-wide that is roughly the same size as the English speaking North American market. In all of those geographies there are advanced industrial markets and a need to improve how they manage maintenance.
To me those are big opportunities being missed – opportunities to improve asset performance. To achieve that I need a publisher with that sort of global vision. I have yet to find that publisher and I’m asking for your help. If anyone listening knows of one, please speak up. I’m all ears!
Current status
Uptime’s 4th edition is already in progress. It will be in the form of a whole new book, published in multiple languages. It will still cater to maintainers, likely referencing Uptime’s 3rd edition and other books for greater depth in some topics. Additionally, it will cater more completely to managers in departments touched by maintenance, and it will address the highly strategic importance of maintenance as a business function for executives.
