Bob Latino

Bob is co-author of numerous articles and has led seminars and workshops on FMEA, Opportunity Analysis and RCA, as well as co-designer of the award winning PROACT® Investigation Management Software solution. He has authored or co-authored six (6) books related to RCA and Reliability in both manufacturing and in healthcare and is a frequent speaker on the topic at domestic and international trade conferences. Bob has applied the PROACT® methodology to a diverse set of problems and industries, including a published paper in the field of Counter Terrorism entitled, “The Application of PROACT® RCA to Terrorism/Counter Terrorism Related Events.”

Bob Latino Articles

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

The Top 11 Signs of a Shallow Cause Analysis (SCA)

Reading Time: 2 minutes We might be doing a Shallow Cause Analysis (SCA) if … 1. We blame and discipline the violator and that concludes the investigation. There is

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 17, 2023

Logic Tree Basics: Complete Guide Constructing a Logic Tree

Reading Time: 9 minutes Note: Everyone has their own way to use cause-and-effect logic trees and we use the PROACT RCA Methodology that we teach in our root cause

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

The Pro’s and Con’s of Using Pre-Existing Logic/Templates in Root Cause Analyses (RCA)

Reading Time: 10 minutes There has been an ongoing debate for decades as to whether the use of pre-existing logic for conducting Root Cause Analyses (i.e. RCA templates and/or

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

In Healthcare, Is The Human Being An Asset Or Liability?

Reading Time: 13 minutes This article contrasts the application of preventive and predictive technologies in industry to those in healthcare. For years, risk managers have been discussing the rationing

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

Supercharge Lean Six Sigma with Root Cause Analysis

Reading Time: 8 minutes Has your organization adopted Six Sigma? Lean manufacturing? What about Lean Six Sigma? If you already have any of these business process improvements in place,

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

Name That Failure | Part 3

Reading Time: 4 minutes Can you identify and name this fracture pattern? How can you tell it is that fracture pattern? Where are the origin(s) of the failure

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Name That Failure Pattern | 2nd Edition

Reading Time: 3 minutes This failure occurred on a turbine driven boiler feedwater pump (TDBFP) at a fossil fuel power plant. The pump in question is an outboard boiler

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

Name That Failure Pattern – Part 1

Reading Time: 8 minutes This is a failed shaft that came out of a pump in a paper mill. The pump was only in service for about a month

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 16, 2023

Examining Rolling Element Bearings

Reading Time: 7 minutes In our last series highlighting the 4 primary Failure Modes (FM) of component failures (erosion, corrosion, fatigue and overload), we discussed how to read fractured surfaces.

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

Optimizing RCA and FMEA in Health Care

Reading Time: 12 minutes “Failure Mode and Effect Analysis” (FMEA) and “Root Cause Analysis” (RCA) are becoming commonplace terms in work environments and in the literature. This article will

by Bob Latino

Updated: May 2, 2024

Defining Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Reading Time: 7 minutes In this blog, I discuss the RCA definition I used as a career analyst/investigator and explain why it makes sense to me. You decide if

by Bob Latino

Updated: December 11, 2023

3 Steps to Improve Your Root Cause Analysis

Reading Time: 5 minutes There are various ways for us to improve our root cause analysis and take our reliability to the next level. Reliability professionals could do RCAs