Root Cause Analysis: Improving Performance for Bottom-Line Results, Fourth Edition

What is RCA? It seems like such an easy question to answer, yet from novices to veterans and practitioners to providers, no one seems to have come to agreement or consensus on an acceptable definition for the industry. Now in its fourth edition, Root Cause Analysis: Improving Performance for Bottom-Line Results discusses why it is so hard to get such consensus and why various providers are reluctant for that to happen. See what's new in the Fourth Edition: Human Error Reduction Techniques (HERT) -- new chapter Failure Scene Investigation (FSI) -- Disciplined Evidence Gathering Categorical versus Cause-and-Effect RCA Tools Analysis Tools Review The Germination of a Failure Constructing a Logic Tree Introduction of PROACTOnDemandSM The Advantages of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) The Pros and Cons of RCA Templates Three New Client Case Histories The authors discuss evidence collection and strategy, failure scene investigation techniques, the human element, and the contribution of human performance and human factors to poor decision making. They clarify definitions that can be considered ambiguous and underscore the distinctions between applying PROACT manually using a paper-based system versus using an automated software tool. Written by practitioners for practitioners, the book outlines an entire RCA system which involves a cultural paradigm change about how failure is perceived and acted upon in an organization. The authors' trademark, down-to-earth style provides a step-by-step action plan for how to construct and implement a root cause analysis system that can be applied to any industry.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to the PROACT Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Work Process Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) Frequency of Events Maintenance Cost Availability Reliability Balanced Scorecard The RCA Work Process Introduction to the Field of Root Cause Analysis What is Root Cause Analysis (RCA)? Why Do Undesirable Outcomes Occur? The Big Picture Are All RCA Methodologies Created Equal? Attempting to Standardize RCA — Is This Good For the Industry? What is Not Root Cause Analysis? How to Compare Different RCA Methodologies When Researching Them What Are the Primary Differences Between Six Sigma and RCA? Obstacles to Learning from Things That Go Wrong Creating the Environment for RCA to Succeed: The Reliability Performance Process (TRPP) The Role of Executive Management in RCA The Role of a RCA Champion (Sponsor) The Role of the RCA Driver Setting Financial Expectations: The Reality of the Return Institutionalizing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) in the System Failure Classification RCA as an Approach Opportunity Analysis: “The Manual Approach” Step 1: Perform Preparatory Work Define the System to Analyze Define Undesirable Event Draw Block Diagram (Use the Contact Principle) Describe the Function of Each Block Calculate the “Gap” Develop Preliminary Interview Sheets and Schedule Step 2: Collect the Data Step 3: Summarize and Encode Data Step 4: Calculate Loss Step 5: Determine the “Significant Few” Step 6: Validate Results Step 7: Issue a Report Asset Performance Management Systems (APMS): Automating the Opportunity Analysis Process Determining Our Event Data Needs Establish a Workflow to Collect the Data Employ a Comprehensive Data Collection System Analyze the Digital Data The PROACT® RCA Methodology Preserving Event Data The Error-Change Phenomenon The 5-Ps Concept Parts Position People Paper Paradigms Ordering the Analysis Team Novices versus Veterans The RCA Team Analyzing the Data: Introducing the PROACT Logic Tree An Academic Example Confidence Factors The Troubleshooting Flow Diagram Communicating Findings and Recommendations The Recommendation Acceptance Criteria Developing the Recommendations Developing the Report The Final Presentation Tracking for Bottom-Line Results Getting Proactive Work Orders Accomplished in a Reactive Environment Sliding the Proactive Work Scale Developing Tracking Metrics Exploiting Successes Creating a Critical Mass Recognizing the Life Cycle Effects of RCA on the Organization Conclusion Automating Root Cause Analysis: The Utilization of The PROACT Enterprise Version 3.0+ Customizing PROACT For Our Facility Setting Up a New Analysis in the New PROACT FMEA and OA Module Setting Up a New Analysis in the New PROACT RCA Module Automating the Preservation of Event Data Automating the Analysis Team Structure Automating the Root Cause Analysis — Logic Tree Development Automating the RCA Report Writing Automating Tracking Metrics Case Histories Case History #1: ISPAT Inland, Inc. East Chicago, IN Case History #2: Eastman Chemical Company Kingsport, TN Case History #3: LYONDELL-CITGO Refining Houston, TX Case History #4: Eastman Chemical Company World Headquarters Kingsport, TN Case History #5: Southern Companies Alabama Power Company Parrish, AL Case History #6: Weyerhauser Company Valliant, OK Index

About the Author :
Robert J. Latino is the CEO of Reliability Center, Inc., a Reliability Consulting firm in Hopewell, Virginia that specializes in improving Equipment, Process and Human Reliability. Kenneth C. Latino and Mark A. Latino are Presidents at Reliability Center, Inc.

Review :
The Latino brothers have been trail blazers in Root Cause Analysis for as long as I have known them. They have been particularly visionary in pioneering the inclusion of Human Factors into this field, via the PROACT methodology, over the past decade and a half. As always, their vision has been right on target!a As assets become more sophisticated, and we become more reliant on machinery, human error (and the reasons for it) are a far greater part of the reliability picture. This book will provide even greater support to companies that want to get the most out of their physical assets, and the PROACT methodology will continue to deliver unique value as they continue to evolve the method. --Daryl Mather, Owner and Principal Consultant, Reliability Success Pty Ltd "Having been involved since 1988 in the use of RCI's root cause methodology, I know it provides repeatable success regardless of the magnitude of failure or type of industry. I can solidly contribute $10 million in savings from using the process. The knowledge in this book will stop the cycle of repeated failures. --Tim Stovall, CMRP, Reliability Leader, NOVA Chemicals, Inc. ! a technique that allowed us to fix a chronic processing problem that plagued one of our gas plants for more than ten years.a If not for this technique, we would still be 'fire fighting' this problem today. --Alan Laundry, Tech. Services Manager, Westcoast Energy, Inc., Ft. St. John, BC. Very complete course on how to perform RCA from start to finish. Real life examples of problems are excellent in making connections. --Doug Plucknette - Eastman Kodak ... an excellent thought process stimulator. The ideas generated are excellent and much good variety of industries represented, lots of interaction and information exchanged. --Thomas Bublitz - Herman Miller, Inc. A must for reliability engineers. --Tom Hutchinson - Mead Paper ! am finally convinced that this is the tool of choice (when compared to RCM) --Doug Walwyn, Maintenance & Reliability Engineer, General Mills, Inc. Very Informative. Exceeded my every expectation. --Carl Bright, Maintenance Supervisor, Cryovac Sealed Air Corp. Praise for Previous Editions: Unfortunately, hero-based maintenance, noble as it is, is not the most effective business strategy and points to a reactive corporate culture. ! The problem solving methods discussed in this book cover much more than how to determine the obvious cause of the problem. This book discusses how to set up a blame free methodology that encourages deeper problem discovery that results in permanent solutions. It stresses that Root Cause Analysis requires a dedicated team coupled with management support and explains ways to communicate the impact so a business case can be made. Best of all it teaches how to create an entire company of proactive problem solvers that will move your operation to the next level of profitability and effectiveness. ! I am confident that this book will have a profound effect on your problem solving ability. --From the Foreword by Terrence O'Hanlon, CMRP, Publisher, Reliabilityweb.com The reviewer would like to recommend this book to all reliability and maintenance engineers for a serious look at the material presented in the book and to reliability schools for graduating engineering students. It is a good book that explains the root cause analysis approach to engineering systems. -- Krishna B. Misra, in International Journal of Performability Engineering, April 2008, Vol. 4, No. 2