Reliability resources

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Root Cause Analysis Tools That Drive Results Root cause analysis tools help organizations uncover the real reasons behind recurring issues, prevent failures, and improve long-term performance. But not all tools are created equal. While RCA techniques like the Fishbone Diagram or 5 Whys provide the methods for investigation, the actual tools you use—whiteboards, Excel, Visio, or purpose-built RCA software—determine how

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Understanding failure mechanisms and components is a critical aspect of reliability engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance across various industries. Whether you’re dealing with machinery, electronic devices, or complex systems, the ability to identify and comprehend how and why failures occur can significantly impact performance, safety, and longevity.  This guide aims to delve into the intricacies of failure mechanisms and the components

Reading Time: 2 minutes

There is great variation when it comes to a common understanding of the term ‘Root Cause Analysis’ or RCA. In a previous, lengthy paper, I wrote an article entitled “The Stigma of RCA: What’s In a Name?“. It focused on common understandings (or misunderstandings) of what RCA means and then described the basic steps of any investigative occupation. I just

Reading Time: 4 minutes

The Stigma of ‘RCA’ Let’s start off with some honesty…the term ‘RCA’ (Root Cause Analysis) is quite vague, misleading and easily misinterpreted by those who are not immersed in its use. It is a useless and counter-productive term because there is no universally accepted, standard definition. Therefore, any process/tool someone is using to solve a problem is likely to be labelled as

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As is typical in our manufacturing organizations, oftentimes it takes high visibility events with catastrophic consequences for a full-blown Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to be conducted. Many of us still have fresh memories of Challenger in our minds from over 17 years ago, and now we are faced with another investigation of equal (if not greater) magnitude.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Root cause analyses are done every day all over the world. Organizations do root cause analysis because it is good business. From an explosion in an auto parts plant to the wrong prescription being given to a patient. Events such as these can have dramatic monetary, physical and psychological effects on an organization. To solve problems down to the true

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Every year, U.S. industry spends well over $300 billion on plant maintenance and operations. An estimated 80% of these dollars are expended to correct chronic failures of machines, systems, and people that occur daily, even hourly, in plants across the country.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Why are Human Assets Important? A realization that appears to be taking hold in corporate America today is that the answer to increased productivity and higher profits lies not in downsizing or even computers. Rather, it is the people who operate our plants and build our products who are our most precious assets. As such, they must be nurtured, encouraged,

Reading Time: 5 minutes

In many ways, this article is a requiem for a time-honored function in plants and processing facilities throughout the chemical industry. In today’s competitive environment, where survival often depends on increasing efficiency to the maximum and reducing costs the minimum, it may be time to lay the traditional concept of “troubleshooting” to its final rest. In its place, we need