CMRP Root Cause Analysis and Failure Investigation

Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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

Question 2

What does the '5 Whys' technique aim to achieve in failure analysis?

Accepted Answer

Iteratively asking 'why' to drill through symptoms to the underlying root cause

Answer

The 5 Whys technique peels back layers of symptoms by repeatedly asking why each condition exists, aiming to reach the true systemic or human root cause.

Question 3

Which RCA tool uses a visual diagram resembling a fish skeleton to organize causes by category?

Accepted Answer

Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram

Answer

The Ishikawa diagram (also called a fishbone or cause-and-effect diagram) organizes potential causes into categories such as Machine, Method, Material, Man, Measurement, and Environment.

Question 4

In CMRP terminology, what is a 'latent root cause'?

Accepted Answer

An underlying organizational or systemic weakness that allows physical and human root causes to exist

Answer

Latent root causes are the systemic, managerial, or cultural conditions (e.g., inadequate training, missing procedures) that enable failures to occur and recur.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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

CMRP - Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional Practice Test

CMRP - Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional Practice Test

CMRP Root Cause Analysis and Failure Investigation