Root Cause Analysis and Failure Investigation Flashcards
6 cards from real CMRP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Root Cause Analysis and Failure Investigation flashcards as text
Which RCA methodology uses a cause-and-effect chart combined with evidence verification to build a logic tree from a defined problem statement?
Answer: Apollo Root Cause Analysis
Apollo RCA (developed by Dean Gano) constructs a cause-and-effect logic tree where each cause is verified with evidence, avoiding assumptions and ensuring defensible conclusions.
What is the purpose of a 'corrective action matrix' following a root cause analysis?
Answer: To assign ownership, due dates, and verification steps to each recommended corrective action
A corrective action matrix converts RCA findings into accountable tasks, ensuring each recommendation has a named owner, completion deadline, and verification criterion.
In failure analysis, what does 'mean time between failures' (MTBF) measure?
Answer: The average operating time between successive failures of a repairable system
MTBF is calculated as total operating time divided by the number of failures, representing the average expected interval between failures for a repairable item.
Which type of maintenance trigger is generated directly by a root cause analysis finding indicating a design deficiency?
Answer: Engineering change or redesign action
When RCA identifies a design deficiency as the root cause, the correct response is an engineering change or redesign—not a maintenance task—to eliminate the failure mode entirely.
What is 'consequence analysis' as applied in reliability engineering and failure investigation?
Answer: Evaluating the safety, environmental, operational, and economic impacts of a failure mode
Consequence analysis assesses what happens when a failure mode occurs, categorizing impacts across safety, environment, production, and cost to justify maintenance strategy selection.
In the P-F curve concept, what does the 'P-F interval' represent?
Answer: The time between detection of a potential failure (P) and occurrence of the functional failure (F)
The P-F interval is the window of opportunity for condition monitoring to detect a developing failure and take action before the asset loses its required function.