What is World Class Root Cause Analysis?

TapRooT(R) of course!

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But there is more to it than that.

In addition to TapRooT(R), World Class Root Cause Analysis requires:

- A strategy for your improvement program

- A written improvement plan

- Trained resources (great people) to perform the analysis

- An improvement program owner to make the process work

- Middle and senior management support

- Advanced trending techniques (need database for this)

- Strategies for collecting and disseminating lessons learned

- Aggressive implementation of improvements (corrective actions)

- Management and supervisory support of behavior change initiatives (corrective actions)

- Specialized help for difficult problems

- Continuous effort (you are never “good enough”) and continued nurturing

- Processes to insure good, consistent investigations

- Rewards for good investigations and corrective action implementation

That’s my short list … what can you add to it?

This whole topic comes from an e-mail I received that I will share here.

Bob Cargill of TransAlta wrote:

- – -

Hi Mark – Last year one of the members of our corporate reliability group

attended a maintenance conference in Tampa Florida where a reliability

program scorecard workshop was offered. One of the aspects in the

scorecard was a KPI for RCFAs which indicated that investigations be

started within 72 hours of incident occurrence. Are you aware of any other

KPIs that would give us an understanding of the hallmarks of a world class

RCFA program? We already have TapRooT but we would like to enhance the

system that works with the software.

Thanks!

Regards,

Bob Cargill, RET

Reliability Specialist

TransAlta Utilities Corporation

Alberta Thermal

Duffield, Alberta

Canada

- – -

I replied to Bob that I would post his question in the e-Newsletter and here on the Root Cause Analysis Blog to see what feedback TapRooT(R) Users could provide.

So to post your comments below (click on the Comment link).

I also told Bob:

- – -

Two other ideas …

1. We have a session at the Summit on Best Practices for Corrective Action Programs and Root Cause Analysis and this topic could easily be added to the agenda for that session. Are you planning on attending the Summit? It really is the best place to network with other TapRooT(R) Users and find out what the best of the best are doing. For more summit info see: http://www.taproot.com/summit

2. I am working on a update to the TapRooT(R) Book and will add that to the topics to research and add to the book. We are going to discuss the book update at the post-Summit (Saturday) TapRooT(R) Advisory Board meeting.

Would you like to join the Advisory Board and attend the meeting? I could use more maintenance ideas on the board. I’ve pasted the original e-mail charter for the Adviory Board below so that you can see what it is about. Let me know what you think.

Thanks

Mark



- – -

For readers who are interested, I am looking for some new members for the TapRooT(R) Advisory Board. So if you are interested, please drop me a note.

Now please click on the comment link and provide me with your ideas about Key Performance Indicators and Measures of a World Class Root Cause Analysis Program.

Thanks

Mark