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Reliability | John Sewell on Fixing the Wrong Things & Making Better Reliability Decisions
- Connect with John on Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsewellreliability/
- Reach out to John's business : https://jsinsightconsulting.com/
Summary
In this episode, I sit down with John Sewell, maintenance strategy consultant and reliability thinker, to unpack why reliability decisions are often harder than they need to be.
We talk about why teams so often work on the wrong problems, how symptoms get mistaken for root causes, and the classic traps maintenance organisations fall into. John shares practical advice on writing better problem statements, prioritising what actually matters, and turning reliability work into something the business truly cares about (hint: money helps).
John also shares grounded advice for new reliability leaders. Slow down. Learn the site. Ask better questions. And don’t try to fix everything in your first week.
It’s a thoughtful, occasionally surprising conversation about making reliability simpler, smarter, and far more effective.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Professional Journey
06:20 The Importance of Decision-Making in Reliability
08:16 Common Mistakes in Maintenance Organizations
12:48 Understanding Problems vs. Symptoms
15:45 Crafting Effective Problem Statements
19:17 Prioritizing Problems and Solutions
22:03 Common Reliability Issues and Solutions
28:25 Developing a Reliability Strategy
31:34 Building a Business Case for Reliability
37:10 Advice for New Reliability Leaders
Sound Bites
"Stop chasing best practices. Just stop."
"A good business case is not just a number."
"Don't rush in to fix anything quite yet."
Key Takeaways
Selecting the right problem matters more than fixing things quickly.
Too many organisations optimise for short-term relief, not long-term reliability.
If you confuse symptoms with problems, you will fix the wrong thing. Repeatedly.
A strong problem statement brings focus and direction.
Chasing best practice without a clear strategy rarely delivers results.
Better decision-making beats more data every time.
Clear communication is critical if you want change to stick.
Reliability initiatives land better when they are tied to real business outcomes.
New leaders should slow down and understand the site before making changes.
Talking to the right stakeholders often reveals what is really going on.
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By Jp- Connect with John on Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsewellreliability/
- Reach out to John's business : https://jsinsightconsulting.com/
Summary
In this episode, I sit down with John Sewell, maintenance strategy consultant and reliability thinker, to unpack why reliability decisions are often harder than they need to be.
We talk about why teams so often work on the wrong problems, how symptoms get mistaken for root causes, and the classic traps maintenance organisations fall into. John shares practical advice on writing better problem statements, prioritising what actually matters, and turning reliability work into something the business truly cares about (hint: money helps).
John also shares grounded advice for new reliability leaders. Slow down. Learn the site. Ask better questions. And don’t try to fix everything in your first week.
It’s a thoughtful, occasionally surprising conversation about making reliability simpler, smarter, and far more effective.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Professional Journey
06:20 The Importance of Decision-Making in Reliability
08:16 Common Mistakes in Maintenance Organizations
12:48 Understanding Problems vs. Symptoms
15:45 Crafting Effective Problem Statements
19:17 Prioritizing Problems and Solutions
22:03 Common Reliability Issues and Solutions
28:25 Developing a Reliability Strategy
31:34 Building a Business Case for Reliability
37:10 Advice for New Reliability Leaders
Sound Bites
"Stop chasing best practices. Just stop."
"A good business case is not just a number."
"Don't rush in to fix anything quite yet."
Key Takeaways
Selecting the right problem matters more than fixing things quickly.
Too many organisations optimise for short-term relief, not long-term reliability.
If you confuse symptoms with problems, you will fix the wrong thing. Repeatedly.
A strong problem statement brings focus and direction.
Chasing best practice without a clear strategy rarely delivers results.
Better decision-making beats more data every time.
Clear communication is critical if you want change to stick.
Reliability initiatives land better when they are tied to real business outcomes.
New leaders should slow down and understand the site before making changes.
Talking to the right stakeholders often reveals what is really going on.