Mixed Deck — All CMRP Topics Flashcards

What is the primary benefit of integrating maintenance planning with production scheduling?

Answer: Minimizing the conflict between maintenance windows and production demands

Integrating maintenance and production planning ensures maintenance windows are coordinated with production schedules.

What is a 'failure mode' in the context of reliability engineering?

Answer: The specific way in which a component or system fails to perform its required function

A failure mode describes the observable manner in which a failure occurs (e.g., fracture, wear, corrosion, leakage), distinct from the cause or effect of that failure.

Which statistical method is used to determine whether the difference in failure rates between two equipment populations is statistically significant?

Answer: Hypothesis testing

Hypothesis testing (e.g., chi-square test, likelihood ratio test) evaluates whether observed differences in failure rates between two groups exceed what would be expected by chance alone.

What is the purpose of an environmental management system like ISO 14001?

Answer: To provide a framework for managing environmental responsibilities systematically

ISO 14001 provides a systematic framework for managing environmental impacts and continuously improving environmental performance.

An RCM team is analyzing a critical cooling pump. They have defined its functions and identified a functional failure: 'Fails to provide a minimum of 500 GPM.' They have also listed a failure mode: 'Impeller worn beyond tolerance.' According to the structured RCM process (SAE JA1011), what is the immediate next question the team must answer?

Answer: What happens when this failure occurs (the failure effects)?

The standard RCM methodology follows a specific sequence of seven questions. After identifying a failure mode ('What causes each functional failure?'), the immediate next step is to determine the failure effects ('What happens when each failure occurs?'). This information is crucial for assessing the failure consequences later in the analysis.

What is the purpose of failure-finding maintenance tasks?

Answer: To detect hidden failures in protective devices not apparent during normal operation

Failure-finding tasks discover whether standby or protective equipment has experienced a hidden failure.

What is the concept of maintenance prevention in equipment design?

Answer: Designing equipment to minimize or eliminate the need for maintenance

Maintenance prevention involves designing equipment to be more reliable and easier to maintain, reducing lifetime maintenance burden.

Which contract type places the most risk on the maintenance service provider?

Answer: Fixed-price performance-based

Fixed-price performance-based contracts transfer risk to the service provider, who must deliver agreed-upon outcomes within a fixed budget.

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.

What is the purpose of a maintenance dashboard?

Answer: To provide real-time visual representation of key metrics for quick decision-making

Dashboards present KPIs visually, enabling leaders to quickly assess performance and identify areas needing attention.

Which metric best indicates whether an organization's asset management program is effectively balancing planned versus unplanned maintenance?

Answer: Planned maintenance percentage (PMP)

Planned maintenance percentage measures the ratio of planned work hours to total maintenance hours, with world-class targets typically above 85%.

What is emergency work management?

Answer: Establishing a systematic process for urgent unplanned needs while minimizing disruption to planned schedules

Emergency work management provides a structured approach to handling urgent unplanned maintenance.

In the context of asset life cycle, what does 'recommissioning' typically involve?

Answer: Restoring a dormant or mothballed asset to operational service

Recommissioning returns a previously idled asset to service, requiring inspection, testing, and verification that it meets current safety and performance standards.

What is the difference between planned and scheduled maintenance?

Answer: Planned has been scoped and resourced; scheduled has been assigned specific dates for execution

Planning determines what resources are needed; scheduling determines when the job will be performed.

Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of conducting a skills gap analysis for a maintenance and reliability department?

Answer: To identify the specific training and development needed to achieve strategic reliability goals.

A skills gap analysis is a systematic process to compare the current skills of the workforce with the skills required to meet future objectives, such as implementing new predictive technologies or reliability methodologies. The analysis directly informs the creation of a targeted training plan to close those gaps and enhance the team's capabilities.

In root cause analysis, what is a 'physical root cause'?

Answer: The material or mechanical failure mechanism that directly caused the failure event

A physical root cause is the tangible, material-level mechanism—such as fatigue, corrosion, or overload—that was the proximate cause of the failure.

What is post-maintenance testing and inspection?

Answer: Verifying maintenance was completed correctly and equipment functions properly before return to service

Post-maintenance testing verifies repairs are complete, equipment meets specifications, and safety devices function before returning to production.

What is the primary purpose of a failure reporting, analysis, and corrective action system (FRACAS)?

Answer: To systematically capture, analyze, and resolve failures so corrective actions prevent recurrence

FRACAS creates a closed-loop process: failures are reported, analyzed for root causes, and corrective actions are implemented and verified to prevent recurrence.

What is vendor-managed inventory (VMI) in MRO?

Answer: An arrangement where the supplier monitors and replenishes inventory at your facility

VMI shifts responsibility for monitoring and replenishing MRO inventory to the supplier.

A plant's maintenance scheduler consistently builds a full weekly schedule, but by the end of the week, less than 50% of the scheduled work is completed due to frequent "emergency" work requests from production. What is the most likely underlying cause of this problem?

Answer: A lack of a robust proactive maintenance strategy to prevent failures.

Constant schedule-breaking emergencies are a classic symptom of a reactive, or 'fire-fighting', maintenance culture. The root cause is typically an ineffective proactive maintenance strategy (e.g., inadequate preventive or predictive maintenance). When potential failures are not identified and addressed early, they escalate into urgent, unplanned breakdowns that disrupt the planned and scheduled workflow.