The choise to focus on RCM or RCA is not always well considered. In this presentation, some the pros and cons of both aproaches are discussed and an easy guideline is provided to make a more balanced choice.

1. Adding value with
RCM or RCA..
What 's it gonna be?
Ron Vonk / CoThink
July 5th 2016

2. Introduction
2008200019951990
Loopbaan
Ir. Ron Vonk
Partner, senior facilitator & trainer bij CoThink

3. Why this presentation?
RCM?
RCA?
RCM &
RCA?
 Choices made between RCM and RCA prove
not always to be the best ones…
 No satisfactory answer when the question is asked:
“Why focus on RCM?” or “Why focus on RCA?”

4. Content
1. Introduction RCM and RCA
2. Similarities and distinctions
3. Pros and cons
4. Choice between RCM and RCA
5. Conclusions & recommendations

5. Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM)
Best practice to determine and optimize a maintenance
program for equipments, to maximize availability for
minimum costs, taking into account all requirements set
in advance
Reliability Centred Maintenance (Wikipedia)
Failure Mode Effect & Criticality Analysis (FMECA)
RCM2Failure Mode & Effect Analyse (FMEA)
Asset Performance Management Concept (APMC)
Dynamic RCM ….Streamlined RCM
Variants of RCM
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

6. Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
A class of problem solving methods aimed at identifying
the root causes of problems or events, in which a root
cause is used to describe the depth in the causal chain
where an intervention could reasonably be implemented
to change performance and prevent an undesirable
outcome.
Root Cause Analysis (Wikipedia)
RCA approaches
(approaches for continuous
improvement
RCA methods
RATIO
DMAIC
8D
A3
Kaizen
SCOPE
….
Event Mapping
Ishikawa Diagram
5 Why
Problem Analysis
Current Reality Tree
Tripod
Barrier analysis
…Apollo
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

7. Content
1. Introduction RCM and RCA
2. Similarities and distinctions
3. Pros and cons
4. Choice between RCM and RCA
5. Conclusions & recommendations

8. RCM process
RCA process
Similarities RCM and RCA
Method (how)Input Output
Asset/Maintenance objectives
Asset/Maint. performances
Knowledge & experience
Documentation
Improvement proposals
- Preventive Maintenance
- Modifications
- Operation procedures
- ...
Use of methods
(FMEA/FMECA/RCM2/…)
Team with facilitator
Use of software
(Excel, Optimizer+, …)
Method (how)Input Output
Asset/Maintenance objectives
Asset/Maint. performances
Knowledge & experience
Documentation
Improvement proposals
- Preventive Maintenance
- Modifications
- Operation procedures
- ...
Use of methods
(5Why, Event Mapping,..)
Team with facilitator
Use of software
(Excel, Optimizer+, …)
Use of methods
(FMEA/FMECA/RCM2/…)
Team with facilitator
Use of software
(Excel, Optimizer+, …)
Use of methods
(5Why, Event Mapping,..)
Team with facilitator
Use of software
(Excel, Optimizer+, ...)
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

9. TimeNow
Methods to find root
causes, to solve and
prevent a problem that
actually occurred
Methods to prevent
unacceptable potential
problems
RCA RCM
Distinctions between RCM and RCA
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

10. RCM RCA
Proactive Reactive
Mostly long during
interventions
Mostly short
interventions
Implementation of
improvement proposals
often difficult
- A lot of work
- Lack of buy-in/support
- Higher probility of budget
issues
Implementation of
improvement proporals
relatively easy
- Less work
- Strong buy-in/support
- Lower probability of
budget issues
Analyses quit often
“boring” (caused by
repetiveness)
Analyses mostly
“exciting” (different
every time)
Distinctions between RCM and RCA
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

11. Content
1. Introduction RCM and RCA
2. Similarities and distinctions
3. Pros and cons
4. Choice between RCM and RCA
5. Conclusions & recommendations

12. RCM
RCA
Pros and cons RCM and RCA
Pros
 Proactive, also potential problems
will be taken in consideration
during analysis
 Development or improvement of
maintenance concept for total
equipment
 Contribution to compliancy: being
able to demonstrate correct
preventive actions are in place
Pros
 Costing less time and money
 Rapid results
 Less/no challenges to get or
maintain buy-in
Cons
 Relatively costly in terms of
money and time
 Results less visible on short
term
 Obtain and maintain buy-in is
a challenge
Cons
 Reactive: problem has already
occurred
 Improvement of maintenance
concept (if applicable) only for
part of equipment: to prevent
reoccurance of specific failure
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

13. Content
1. Introduction RCM and RCA
2. Similarities and distinctions
3. Pros and cons
4. Choice between RCM and RCA
5. Conclusions & recommendations

14. Why RCM or RCA?
Bron: Mainnovation,
“VDM, New faith in maintenance”
RCM
RCARCA
 Application of RCM and RCA are recurring
steps in continuous improvement circle!
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

15. Focus RCM better then RCA?
% costs
preventive
maintenance
Benchmark costs of preventive maintenance
As % of total maintenance costs
Organisations in benchmark
 Biased preference
for prevention is
sometimes
obstinately!
 Is that the reason
why there seems to
be a preference to
focus on RCM
instead of RCA?
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

16.  If we need to decide between Preventive or Corrective
Maintenance, we seem to be wise: we choose based on
risk and minimum total costs
Probability
Seriousness
of
effect
Acceptable
 Corrective
measures
Not acceptable
 Preventive
measures
Risk = Probability x Seriousness
Costs
preventive
maintenance
Total costs
 Why should we do it differently when choosing
between RCM and RCA?
€
Level of preventive maintenance
Costs corrective
maintenance +
downtime costs
Minimum total costs
Focus RCM better then RCA?
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

17. Focus on RCM or RCA?
Big failure, incident
or accident
RCA
Asset/Maintenance objectives
Asset/Maint. Performance
Knowledge & Experience
Documentation
Quick FMECA
Equipment (still)
critical?
No Yes
RCA** RCM
** RCA based on “cost drivers” and “performance killers”
Current
maintenance
concept *
* If there is not (yet) a compliancy issue. Otherwise, start from scretch.
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

18. Content
1. Introduction RCM and RCA
2. Similarities and distinctions
3. Pros and cons
4. Choice between RCM and RCA
5. Conclusions & recommendations

19. Conclusions & recommendations
Adding value with RCM or RCA?
 It is not “RCM or RCA?”, it should be “RCM and RCA!”
 In any case of big failures or incidents: always apply RCA.
Define clear “triggers” though: What is big?
 Is compliancy an issue? Apply RCM for critical equipment,
starting with “If we won’t do any maintenance…”
 Is compliancy not an issue? Apply RCM for equipment
which are still critical, regardless the current maintenance
concept (where there are still unacceptable risks)
 For non-critical equipments: focus with RCA on elimination
of “cost drivers” and “performance killers”!
Introduction RCM
en RCA
Similarities and
disctinctions
Pros and cons
Choice between
RCM and RCA
Conclusions &
recommendations

20. More info…
CoThink: www.cothink.nl