TABLE OF CONTENTS When performing ARCM, simple techniques can often significantly improve analytical results. Typically, RCM analysis is highly abstract, using esoteric, redundant, or even arcane statements. Many analysts focus exclusively on expert interviews to "flush out" failure modes of interest. While interviews are good, numbers tell the story as we've seen.
In my experience, the difficulty most people have engineers included is penetrating corporate maintenance management systems. CMMSs are difficult to learn and harder to interpret. In the role of maintenance manager-at the mercy of others to develop and interpret CMMS reports-I finally forced myself to learn how they work. Having waded through the process several additional times at several companies and plants, I highly recommend anyone involved with maintenance not yet fluent with these systems, reports, and numbers to learn at least one. If you want to evangelize, you have to learn the language.
Another CMMS barrier is report formats. Row upon row of unformatted numbers and text represent little to uninformed readers. Information is often coded and layouts must be compromised to standardize reports. Key record locations and formats must be learned. Once you are able to skim CMMS reports, recognize key information, and query interactively, you can use CMMSs effectively to understand maintenance.
Most CMMS fields are not crucial. Important fields include the component (equipment) identifier, component name, work type, and description. For a time-based PM WO, a field should identify PM scope and source. For corrective maintenance, the problem description originates and justifies the work. A...
