Abstract
The collection of data for quantitative reliability analyses is often a costly process, particularly when field data have to be forwarded to a central point for analysis. In this short note, the authors consider one aspect of these reliability assessments, and show how data collection costs may be considerably reduced by allowing for a relatively low loss of precision in the subsequent analysis. The authors support their remarks with an example in which the two-parameter Weibull distribution is used to describe the times in service of items of equipment; however, this example illustrates principles which are more generally true, and the reader will be able to transfer the conclusions of the discussion to a wide variety of cases.