Improving criticality analysis methods to influence RCM

Before an organization can implement Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), a document called a Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) is performed to help identify parts that get put on the Critical Items List (CIL). The primary goal of the FMECA is to produce a CIL while also providing a thorough understanding of the failure behavior of a system. When engineers talk about FMECAs, it´s fairly common for each person involved to conjure his or her own concept of what a FMECA is. Experienced reliability engineers will tell you that not all FMECAs are done the same way or to the same level of detail. Organizations usually have specific purposes for their FMECAs other than a CIL, and a CIL can be generated by other means such as safety related analyses. Sometimes FMECAs are used to track the failure behavior of a system or to influence maintenance manuals. Though these shouldn´t be the primary reasons for putting together FMECAs, they sometimes are. In any case, RCM cannot be appropriately implemented without FMECAs being performed on essential components to influence the Critical Items List.