Resources for root cause analysis

Standard Work Drives Continuous Improvement

2012-06-20T08:33:42-05:00

If you were to ask an operator or even some leaders what standard work meant to them, you might get responses such as “standard operating procedures,” “work instructions” or “check sheets.” These are all legitimately correct answers. What you might not get is that standard work is the basis for driving all continuous improvement actions.

“Where there is no standard, there can be no kaizen.” — Taiichi Ohno

This statement is often ignored as companies work to improve their performance. The initial attempt to quickly resolve issues so that the team can see action being taken may result in the essential element of continuous improvement – root cause analysis—being overlooked.

An important part of truly understanding the relationship of variables on a process comes from stabilizing the effects of changes made to improve it. Traditionally, one may view the lack of this understanding in Figure

How to Start a Reliability Program

2012-05-31T09:16:03-05:00

Where do I start? I have heard this question many times, and there is no easy answer other than “pick a spot.” What I mean is that normally when a company decides to start a reliability program, there are a lot of improvements to be made in other areas as well. I have never heard of a facility in which everything is perfect and the only thing they need to do is start a reliability program to become world class.

Reliability is tied to almost every other area in a facility, and so when one area is at a low point, other areas are also suffering. I would call on all of the experienced reliability veterans to offer their suggestions to help those who want to start a reliability program.

Pick a Spot

Gather all of your best people, including the top people

Reduce Waste to Improve Reliability

2012-05-29T08:43:57-05:00

It seems as if new weight-loss programs and products come out every week. One of the latest is a plastic wrap you place around your stomach. If you strap it around your stomach, you will sweat and lose weight. Brilliant! Of course, you’ll probably sweat if you wrap anything air-tight around your stomach.

Perhaps the more interesting thought is to wonder why we fall for this stuff over and over when we all know the basic concepts in weight loss, such as:

Less energy intake will reduce fat
More exercise will burn fat
More muscle mass will increase metabolism

If you know and understand these basic principles of weight loss, you can apply them and become very successful in losing weight. You will learn that it takes hard work to improve your metabolism and that it is a long-term lifestyle commitment, not a short-term project. This sounds awfully similar to reliability improvements, doesn’t it? Perhaps that

Saving Time and Money with Condition Monitoring

2012-05-18T09:19:28-05:00

A recent acoustic emission (AE) study identified a potential critical bearing failure that became a planned preventive action for a leading food manufacturer. This also avoided considerable cost and unplanned downtime.

The acoustic emission equipment and the main tool used during the planned inspection routes were manufactured by Holroyd Instruments. This example will show the value of this type of equipment in avoiding a major unplanned event that could have had massive cost consequences for the business. Collateral damage to the associated equipment would have proved very costly, and the lead time to rebuild could have caused extensive downtime that would have meant disgruntled customers not being able to rely on stock availability.

The story began in April 2010 when some initial elevated readings were noted at two node points on a large step-down transfer gearbox that were sampled on a seven-day routine. The distress readings were elevated and triggered the alarm leve

People Make the Difference in Maintenance and Reliability Improvement

2012-03-05T10:27:27-06:00

Many people may have gravitated to the maintenance and reliability industry because of the desire to work with machinery. I was trained in engineering and understand how machines operate and work. Machines behave in logical ways. They all follow the mechanical and electrical laws of nature. Engineers are immersed in those laws in their years of schooling. People in the maintenance field thrive on knowing that machinery works and behaves in logical ways.

In a previous article for Reliable Plant, I pointed out the thought similarities between an organization’s safety improvement effort and a maintenance and reliability improvement effort. The idea that zero injuries are possible is a key concept for any safety effort to gain momentum, but how does a plant or an organization really improve safety results?

What I have experienced over the past 30 years is a continual and steady safety improvement effort. In the early years, much of the emphasis was on identifi

Know Where You Are Going for Successful Change

2012-01-18T08:44:14-06:00

Early in his change-management career, Yogi Berra was advising a professional sports organization in New York on some of the finer points of managing change. At the executive briefing, Berra delivered his change-management theory overview, which he summed up in this single statement: “You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might end up someplace else."

Apparently, the executive board was impressed because they extended his engagement an additional 14 years. Although his actual change consulting career was short lived, Berra did highlight one of the most critical aspects of successful change – knowing where you’re going. In organizational change, where you’re going is usually summed up in business terms: lower cost, higher quality, greater customer satisfaction, etc. These objectives, however, are the results of specific, repeated behaviors. How change truly occurs is by getting people in the org

5 Time Wasters for Reliability Engineers to Avoid

2012-01-05T08:19:19-06:00

You’ve heard the catch phrases. You’ve read the success stories. You’ve seen the return on investment (ROI) calculations and the positive trending that reliability engineers bring. You’ve even lobbied upper management. Your argument has been so convincing that you’ve secured approval in this year’s budget to hire a reliability engineer. The hiring process has begun, and you can’t wait for the results: more reliable equipment, fewer failures and increased availability and production.

If only it were that easy. Building a reliability program led by competent professionals takes work. It requires setting expectations properly. Most of all, it requires time. How do you accelerate the process to ensure the maximum benefit in the shortest time? Avoiding these top five time wasters could help.

Lack of Vision

No, we aren’t talking about whether your reliability engineer could have been a fighter pilot or whether

Discipline and Diligence Are Key for Root Cause Analysis

2011-12-12T09:31:43-06:00

OK, so now you have put up these fancy (or so you think fancy) check sheets and charts for standard work, expecting the improvements to happen. Things go well for the first couple of days or weeks – if you are lucky. Everyone is abuzz with this focus of action, but then it begins to degrade. What is happening?

Diligence and discipline of execution are important underlying details of root cause analysis. The new methods are oftentimes person dependent rather than process dependent. So, we find that the owner maintaining this new system goes on vacation, and the team finds itself quickly back where they started – frustrated and not knowing where to head next. These new methods fall to the side and are sometimes even removed in shame.

The important aspect of this improvement process is applying consistent performance through discipline. The team members must be able to apply the techniques in order to achieve the performance levels and results expected.

Corporate Culture Cited as Root Cause of Mine Disaster

2011-12-08T13:28:53-06:00

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently announced that it has imposed a fine of more than $10 million following its investigation into the April 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch-South Mine, which was operated by Performance Coal Co., a subsidiary of Massey Energy Co.

The explosion killed 29 miners and injured two, making it the worst U.S. coal mining disaster in 40 years. A report concluded that Massey's corporate culture was the root cause of the tragedy. MSHA has issued Massey and PCC 369 citations and orders.

"The tragic explosion at Upper Big Branch left dozens of families without husbands, fathers, brothers and sons," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "I made a pledge to the families of those we lost and the entire mining community to conduct the most complete and thorough investigation possible in order to find the cause of this disaster. The results of the investigation lead to the con

5 Keys to Maintain Equipment Reliability

2011-12-05T08:55:44-06:00

There is so much similarity in all that we do within the maintenance planning and scheduling world that compares to other separate and distinct functions. Let me explain. Borrowing from root cause analysis process methods, I trust you are familiar with Ishikawa diagrams (also called fishbone diagrams or cause-and-effect diagrams). These diagrams are one method that is used for product design, quality defect avoidance or variation, or to identify factors that lead to some event, hence the use in root cause analysis.

The categories typically include:

Man (people)
Methods: How the process is performed and the specific requirements to perform the tasks, including time estimates
Machines: Any equipment, tools, etc., needed to do the job
Materials: Consumables, parts required
Measurements: Data generated from the process

All of these items combine together to create some output or event. In

Implementing Solutions to Root Causes

2011-11-28T08:53:16-06:00

Root cause analysis and root cause failure analysis are commonly used terms, but I have always felt that they are somewhat misguided.

First, there is not really such a thing as a “root cause” to a problem. If you try to find a definition for “root cause,” you will discover a mix of homegrown attempts, but all of them are general or unclear in nature. Here is an example: “A root cause is an initiating cause of a causal chain which leads to an outcome or effect of interest.” Aside from being wrong, it is quite a bunch of incomprehensive verbiage.

The problem with definitions such as these is that in the real world it is never possible to prove a single event that solely initiates a whole chain of other events. That is because there are always other events before the so-called “root cause event.” This may seem like semantics, but for problem-solvers, it is important to keep in mind that there never is a silver-bullet answer.

3 Common Excuses for Not Performing Root Cause Analysis

2011-11-21T11:18:09-06:00

Most people know what is good for them. We know it is better to eat vegetables than cookies and chips. We know it is healthier to exercise than watch TV. How come the cookies and chips are flying off shelves while the veggies whither? How come the average person spends 20-some hours in front of the TV while we struggle to get one single hour of exercise in a week? The answer is that we don’t do what is best for us. We more often do what we feel like and what is easy.

The same logic applies to plants and mills. For example, most everyone agrees that we should fix the root causes of problems rather than the symptoms. However, most of us don’t fix the root causes of problems. We keep repairing breakdowns and patching problems with temporary solutions year in and year out. How come? There are a million excuses, but none of those make any sense if we look at what is best for a company over time. Let’s look at the most common excuses.

1. “There is no t

Why Execution is Key for Business Strategies

2011-11-14T10:54:15-06:00

Business strategies developed by companies are often useless. A business strategy is basically a plan for what the company should focus on in the future. It is a promise and guideline to steer a company in the right direction. It’s not too different from your personal New Year’s resolution.

Most people’s New Year’s resolutions include things such as losing weight, exercising more, drinking less and improving their marriage in some form. The universal formula for change in any personal-improvement book or business book is to:

Understand what to do
Understand how to do it
Execute

Let us compare a business strategy with our beloved New Year’s resolution. We know what the problem is, right? We are fat, unhappy, stressed, whatever. We usually know how to improve (drink less, exercise, spend time with the wife), but we fail to execute.

The hard truth is that we try a little. We s

6 Techniques to Error-proof Your Plant

2011-11-10T08:59:05-06:00

When faced with the task of improving plant efficiency, the average plant manager breaks the task down by the five or six existing "departmental silos." Each silo leader subdivides responsibility, repeating the mistake, and passes it on to individuals. As a result, we see young, intelligent engineers overwhelmed by the task handed to them of "get out there and improve maintenance." The situation is not so bad for the less intelligent or those who have become automatons; they just keep repeating what has gone on forever and collect another paycheck.

What the plant manager needs is a better way to visualize his situation, a method that will allow him to develop a new strategy. The following insights are based on work done at MIT and by many other professors in "human error" at international centers of learning. The "Error Pyramid" is unique, but the remaining techniques and technologies have been established for 15 years or more.

ALS Tribology opens new facility

2011-04-07T14:35:07-05:00

An introduction to mistake-proofing

2011-01-12T08:41:15-06:00

This video clip was taken from a Lean Six Sigma green belt class taught by ProgressivEdge. It opens with a discussion on reactive vs. proactive tools and then describes the three levels of mistake-proofing.

Bearing protection rings help cement plant boost uptime

2011-01-10T12:56:21-06:00

It seemed as though nothing could stop the squealing. Not that the Monarch Cement Company’s huge ball mill wasn’t already loud. Powered by a 5,000-horsepower motor, it pulverizes 100 tons of clinker per hour. But the squealing was not what Randy Riebel wanted to hear. As electrical supervisor at Monarch’s plant in Humboldt, Kan., he knew the noise meant the motor’s bearings were going – again. What was the solution? Read this case study to find out.

3M's successful application of Six Sigma

2010-11-30T08:49:47-06:00

This video outlines how 3M has applied the Six Sigma methodology in its business and management processes.

Using root cause analysis to investigate haul truck incident

2010-11-12T08:42:30-06:00

Follow Ron Hughes of Reliability Center Inc. as he examines a haul truck accident and uses PROACT RCA to facilitate this root cause analysis.

How to trend chronic failures through root cause analysis

2010-11-08T14:07:01-06:00

Bob Latino from Reliability Center Inc. provides this video on how to trend chronic failures through root cause analysis. Learn why you should trend chronic failures for the bottom-line results.

Primer on root cause analysis and cause-and-effect diagrams

2010-11-08T14:05:10-06:00

This video provides background on root cause analysis and cause-and-effect diagrams.

What root cause analysis tool is best for operators

2010-11-01T15:56:12-05:00

Carl March, reliability subject matter expert with Life Cycle Engineering, presents a novel approach to an age-old root cause analysis tool for operators - "Should-Actual-5 Whys" This installment is a part of a series of informative video lessons called "Reliability Made Simple."

Wind power company gets to the root of icy issue

2010-09-20T09:02:02-05:00

With a steady breeze, a wind turbine – stretching 262 feet high – majestically turns its three powerful blades, generating enough clean, renewable electricity to power 750 homes for a 24-hour period. When the breeze turns into a driving wind combined with ice, freezing rain, snow and even freezing fog, the turbine's anemometer, which measures wind speed and force, can freeze up and result in costly downtime for wind power companies such as Clipper Windpower.

Machinists cite China link in Gulf equipment failure

2010-07-20T08:04:43-05:00

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) on July 19 faulted British Petroleum (BP) for ordering the use of low-cost repair facilities in China to modify critical safety equipment on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Former Intel engineer shares learnings on root cause analysis

2010-06-22T13:47:27-05:00

Menachem Horev's experience and insights are detailed in a new book, Root Cause Analysis in Process-Based Industries, published by Trafford Publishing. The book describes how anomalies get introduced into highly controlled and automated process in the first place, then provides methods for moving from an initial symptom to a sharply defined problem with a known cause.

How to improve product quality ... through social networks

2010-04-22T11:06:56-05:00

A University of Michigan professor found that a lack of coordination causes defects, but network methods can help predict and prevent them.

Survey seeks respondents on how to sustain reliability

2010-02-08T09:00:34-06:00

ARC Advisory Group is undertaking a survey to better understand manufacturers’ approach to reliability for the management of physical assets.

What root cause analysis tool is best for operators?

2009-09-08T00:00:00-05:00

Whenever you are asked to specify the best tool for an application, you must first consider a few things before settling on an answer. You have to consider who is going to use it, what this tool would be used for (its application), and what the outcome is intended to accomplish. We know the answer to the first consideration to be operators. With this in mind, let us step through the remaining areas of concern to arrive at an answer.

1) What will the tool be used for?
Operators in the manufacturing and process industry environment play key roles in the overall reliability of equipment. First, they should be the most familiar with how their equipment should function under normal conditions. The difference between what that equipment should be doing and what it actually is able to do at a given moment in time is the definition of a problem.

PROBLEM = SHOULD – ACTUAL

Early indications of the onset of a problem can frequently b

Vodcast: 5 Whys root cause analysis problem-solving tool

2009-07-24T00:00:00-05:00

The 5 Whys is one of the simplest problem-solving tools used in lean manufacturing and lean offices. This presentation shows how to use the 5 Whys and what to watch out for. It was created and presented by Jeff Hajek of Velaction Continuous Improvement.

Access this 5-minute, 51-second vodcast by clicking on the link below.

Vodcast: Root cause analysis and preventing problems

2009-06-30T00:00:00-05:00

Highly reliable organizations result from highly reliable work processes. Thoroughly dissecting a problem reveals specific solutions to improve work process. The Cause Mapping method of root cause analysis connects problems with work processes to reduce risk and improve organizational reliability.

Access this 7-minute, 49-second video by clicking on the link below.

Is your RCA effort trigger happy?

2007-05-22T10:03:05-05:00

Most work environments are reactive in nature. There is always more work to be done in a day then there is time to perform work. This is because of unexpected changes in the work environment that cause the workforce to respond immediately and without preparation to return their environment back to the status quo.

Because of this, some companies have elected to do root cause analysis on these unexpected events. When dealing from a reactive point of view, the management will initiate a trigger that will execute the performance of a root cause analysis based on vibration level, hours of downtime, financial impact, etc. Trigger placement is a GOOD and necessary first step.

The reason it is a good first step is because the natural progression is to first realize the facility is reactive to an excessive level. This discovery is usually through daily or weekly downtime reporting. Once it is determined there is a problem, measures to control the situation are implemented. Triggers are

The perils and pitfalls of RCA

2007-02-12T00:00:00-06:00

My "best practices" column series has discussed aspects of failure prevention (Part 1), life cycle cost and engineering (Part 2), and practical condition monitoring (Part 3). This article will discuss what is traditionally called root cause analysis (RCA) and spell out common pitfalls that I've observed in this area.

Pointing to the obvious: Many reactive organizations conclude that RCA is the first agenda item for improving reliability. But after completing a few root cause activities, it's obvious that the results will point to already-known problem areas, such as inferior preventive maintenance (PM) and planning and scheduling. The initial reasoning to start an RCA initiative often follows this train of thought: We have a lot of equipment breakdowns, so . . . step one should be to analyze those breakdowns in order to . . . identify the root cause of the breakdowns in order to . . . eliminate the root causes.

It sounds logical and reasonable when presented this way, bu

Rooting for reliability

2006-11-02T00:00:00-05:00

It's fall. The leaves are or will soon be turning colors and then falling to the ground. Football season is in full swing, and I'm sure you're rooting on your favorite pro, college and/or high school team to victory. It's a good time to start thinking about rooting your plant's reliability on to victory, too - but in this case, I'm not referring to cheering; I'm talking about root cause analysis (RCA).

Reliable Plant magazine recently conducted an extensive survey about the application of root cause analysis in industrial plants. Some of the results were predictable, but others were very surprising. For example, safety was not identified as the leading motivation to trigger an RCA event. Of almost 600 respondents, we found that 77.5 percent perform some root cause analysis in their organization. Granted, the readers of Reliable Plant are probably among the upper echelon of reliability practitioners, but the results suggest that this importa

A 50/50 approach to finding a root cause

2006-08-08T00:00:00-05:00

Recently, I volunteered to go to the gemba as an inspector on the weld assembly line for a metal casket manufacturer. After some training, I was left on my own to inspect the welded casket shell for the rest of the shift. It did not take long to find problems in the process.

One non-conformance that caught my attention was a scratch in the same spot on nearly 50 percent of the metal units. Following the established standard work method, I sanded out the scratch and pushed the unit on to the paint department.

The next day, I met with the regular inspector and shared what I observed. He confirmed that this scratch was a pretty common occurrence. Since it was an easy five-second fix, nobody paid much attention to it. Does this sound familiar?

The elimination of this scratch became my new quality mission. I knew I could locate the root cause because it was consistent and easy to see.

To track down the scratch's root cause, I decided to use the 50/50

What constitutes world-class maintenance and reliability?

2005-09-02T00:00:00-05:00

I have received many calls asking, "How can you tell if you are a world-class maintenance and reliability organization, or not?"

How well the systems and practices discussed in this column are being used indicate to me how far a plant has to go to become world class in the areas of maintenance and reliability. I would suggest reading this column with a group of operations and maintenance employees that includes both management and craftspeople.

On a scale of zero to 10, rate your plant's use of the following systems and practic