Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of RAMS engineering in industry and research. Design/methodology/approach -A range of research articles (1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005) covering RAMS engineering is discussed to provide a practical and theoretical overview of RAMS engineering in industry and research. Findings -The paper provides information about the current scenario and also about the past scenario of RAMS engineering in research and industry. Research limitations/implications -This paper reviews much of the literature on RAMS engineering. The literature is collected from major journals and conference proceedings, the period covered is from 1988 to 2005. The authors have tried to make it reasonably comprehensive, but those papers which are not included were either inadvertently overlooked or considered peripheral to this survey. In the present work the authors have only considered those articles which have included two or more aspects of RAMS. Practical implications -The paper is a very useful source of information for researchers working in the area of RAMS engineering. Originality/value -This paper offers help to researchers in understanding the current and past status of RAMS.