Root cause analysis of BIT false alarms

Root cause analysis is an essential task to mature built-in-test (BIT) false alarm performance. Effectiveness of corrective actions is highly dependent upon how well engineers analyze false alarms and how well they understand the equipment´s BIT mechanization into the weapon system. Therefore, a success-oriented engineering approach needs to be established in order to analyze false alarms and understand the reasons they occur. This paper identifies a seven-step process to perform root cause analysis on false alarms during the design and development phase in order to implement effective corrective actions prior to fleet delivery.