Using RCMs

Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) analysis provides a structured framework for analyzing the functions and potential failures for a physical asset in order to develop a scheduled maintenance plan that will provide an acceptable level of operability, with an acceptable level of risk, in an efficient and cost effective manner.

The basic steps for performing RCM analysis are:

1. Create the project and set project properties

   Choose Project > Management > Create Project.

   

   In the Project Properties window, specify the FMEA Structure and the Profile that will be used to set the configurable settings. (See Choosing the FMEA Structure and Profiles.)

   

2. Add items in the system hierarchy

   The first item is added to the system hierarchy when you create the project. Use the Properties tab in the Analysis panel to rename it and set other properties.

   

   To add items, right-click inside the system hierarchy and choose Add System, Add Next Level Item, etc. (See Building the System Hierarchy.)

   

3. Perform equipment selection

   For each system hierarchy item that you want to perform equipment selection for, right-click the item and choose Analyses > Add Risk Discovery. (See Risk Discovery.)

   

   Depending on the configurable settings for the project, this can be a list of yes/no questions or a set of rating scales.

   

4. Add a new functional failure analysis

   Right-click the system hierarchy item that you want to create a functional failure analysis for and choose Analyses > Add FMEA.

   

5. Add functional failure analysis records

   When you add the analysis, the Function window will automatically open. Enter the details and click either Add Function (to add the next function description), Add Failure (to add the first functional failure for this function) or OK (to close the window).

   

   Continue adding analysis records as needed. Note that RCM failure modes are described using the cause record type.

6. Perform failure effect categorization

   Right-click an effect in the functional failure analysis and choose Effect Categorization. (See Failure Effect Categorization.)

   

   The questions and categories depend on the configurable settings for the project.

   

7. Perform maintenance task selection and add a task

   Right-click a failure mode (cause) and choose Task Manager. (See Using Maintenance Task Selection Logic.)

   

   In the Task Manager, answer the questions by clicking inside the Yes/No column. These questions may or may not be dependent on the failure effect categorization, depending on the task selection logic defined for the project.

   

   To add a task, click Add Task.

   

   • Specify the task name and task type (see Task Types in RCM++/RBI), then indicate when the task is to be performed (see Task Scheduling).

   

   • Continue to specify task properties as needed. The configurable fields for traditional RCM are entered under the RCM node. (For information on defining tasks for simulation and cost calculations, see Using Simulation and Cost Calculations.)