Root Cause Analysis
Structured investigation of significant failures without reducing every event to operator error.
What this topic covers
Structured investigation of significant failures without reducing every event to operator error.
Core ideas
Root-cause analysis separates evidence, causal factors and contributing conditions.
Useful investigations examine design, process, maintenance, procedures, training and organizational factors.
Recommendations should address causes that can actually be controlled.
Program tradeoffs
Condition-based maintenance only works when degradation can be detected with enough lead time to act.
What good evidence looks like
Backlog and work priority should reflect risk, readiness and consequence—not age alone.
Lifecycle perspective
Repeat failures are opportunities to remove causes through design, installation, operating or maintenance improvements.