Which of the following is a key aspect of improving reliability?

Improving reliability in operations management involves ensuring that systems and processes perform consistently over time without failure. User education plays a crucial role in this aspect as it empowers users to operate equipment or systems effectively, understand their capabilities, and recognize the signs of potential issues. When users are well-informed, they can prevent misuse, report problems promptly, and follow best practices, which enhances overall reliability.

In contrast, maximizing the number of independent components can lead to increased complexity and potential points of failure, which may decrease reliability. While eliminating potential failures is a noble goal, it's often impractical as it's nearly impossible to eliminate all sources of failure in any complex system. Reducing maintenance frequency might save costs in the short term but can compromise reliability by neglecting necessary preventive maintenance, ultimately leading to more significant failures down the line. Therefore, user education is key because it actively engages the users in maintaining reliability through informed actions and operational awareness.