This part of IEC 60300 provides guidelines for the collection of data relating to reliability, maintainability, availability and maintenance support performance of items operating in the field. It deals in general terms with the practical aspects of data collection and presentation and briefly explores the related topics of data analysis and presentation of results. Emphasis is made on the need to incorporate the return of experience from the field in the dependability process as a main activity. This standard can be applied during monitoring of a population sample or, more widely, of whole populations. It is applicable, without restriction to diverse items, from components to systems and networks, including hardware, software and man/machine interactions. The items considered may have been designed, manufactured, installed, operated and maintained by one or more organizations. This standard applies to all possible relationships between suppliers and users. It applies to situations where some items may be repaired on site while others may only be replaced on site and repaired at centralized facilities. No recommendations are made, however, of how to organize maintenance support.