Course Description:

       Root cause failure analysis is a process for identifying the true root cause of a particular failure

     and using that information to set a course for corrective/preventive action.

       From a technical standpoint, it is usually a multidisciplinary problem, typically focused on the

    traditional engineering fields such as chemistry, physics, materials, statics, dynamics, fluids, etc.

       However, it seems that too often the analysis stops with the technical aspects that are easily

    understood  in an engineering environment, where the real root cause may exist in the human organization.

       In this course, a practical guide to root cause failure analysis will be provided, followed by case

   studies to demonstrate both the technical and organizational nature of a typical root causes failure analysis.

Introduction:

     Despite the best efforts to avoid them, failures are still a common occurrence in every industry. Of course, there are the more obvious and well-publicized failures in the automotive, petrochemical, aerospace, and mining industries, just to name a few, but there are also many less catastrophic failures occurring at any point in time. Failures not only represent imperfection in the technical attempt to design and operate complicated systems, but they also represent organizational inability to successfully manage the competing interests of time, quality, and money. Therefore, in the interest of continuous improvement, it is in one’s best interest to learn all one can from these failures, allowing us to avoid

making the same mistake twice.

   The root cause failure analysis (RCFA) process begins with the collection phase, followed by the analysis phase, and concludes with the solution phase.

Course Objective:

       The main objective of this course is to provide participants with a practical guide for performing root cause failure analysis and determining the appropriate corrective/preventive action necessary to avoid the same failure in the future.

Who Should Attend:

       Mechanical, maintenance, materials, production, and operations engineers and supervisors and other technical staff working in the field.

Course Content:

              • Effective Root Cause Analysis - Identifying the Right Problems.

                             Discovering the extent of the problem

                             Determining the depth of the problem

                             Understanding the reasons for the problem

                             The necessity for methods in root cause analysis

                             Emphasizing opportunities for improvement in the system

              • Effective Specific Corrective Actions - Solving the Problems Effectively and Efficiently

                             Validation of corrective actions against root causes and contributors

                                  (including use of “units”)

                             Validation of corrective actions against analytical methods

                             Using the safety precedence sequence

                             Determining the proper level of specificity for corrective action statements

                             Lowering risk with corrective actions

              • Effective Monitoring - Making Sure Solutions Work

                             Deciding what to monitor - process and product

                             Deciding when to monitor - sooner and later

                             Deciding how to monitor - observing, sampling and reviewing

                             Monitoring the program for strengths and opportunities for improvement

              • MODEL CORRECTIVE ACTION PROGRAM

                             Identify Incidents

                             Risk Informed Categories

                             Cause Analysis Matched to Risk Category

                             Trending Process for Causes

                             Program Key Considerations

                                             Event classifications

                                             Assigning the investigation

                                             Procedures for conducting investigations

                                             Define post investigation responsibilities

                                             Training   

                             Extent of Condition and Extent of Cause

                             7 Steps to Developing Better Corrective Actions

                             Improving Corrective Actions – Distinctions

                             Monitoring Corrective Actions

                             What to Measure

                             When to Measure

                             How to Measure

                             Some Suggestions on Monitoring Corrective Actions

                             Sample Actions to be Taken in an Effectiveness Review Plan

                             The Measures and Their Placement on the Scale

              • ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES REVIEW

                             Magnitude and Importance of Techniques

                             Reminders for Using Analytical Techniques

                             Change Analysis

                             Energy-Barrier-Target Analysis

                             Safety Precedence Sequence

                             General Fault Tree Analysis

                             Events & Causal Factors Analysis

                             Management Oversight & Risk Tree Analysis

              • ASSESSING THE ROOT CAUSE TECHNIQUES

                             Strengths and Weaknesses for Various Root Cause Analysis Methods