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Developing RCM2 Functions and Failure Modes

Defining the assets’ functions, functional failures, failure modes, and failure effects are fundamental steps in design FMECA. Functions must be identified before the team can assess the consequences of failure and develop failure management policies. The FMECA process asks the following questions:

•	What are the functions and associated desired standards of performance of the asset in its present operating context?

•	In what ways can the asset fail to fulfill its functions? That is, what are the functional failures for each function?

•	What causes each functional failure? That is, what are the failure modes for each functional failure?

•	What happens when each failure occurs? That is, what are the effects of each failure mode?

Developing a function in APM using the Facilitation view is a three-step process:

•	Create as many functions as required. At least one function must exist before you can start developing action plans.

•	Describe one or more functional failures for each function.

•	For each functional failure, describe one or more failure modes. You can provide detailed information about the failure mode, including the failure effects. You can also assign an asset to the failure mode, selecting from assets included in the analysis.

Tip: You can also create failure modes and failure effects for existing functions when developing action plans.

This section explains how to develop functions, functional failures, failure modes, and failure effects using the Facilitation view, Info Worksheet tab. It includes links to detailed topics for some tasks.

You can also copy functions and failure modes into the analysis. For more information, see Copying RCM2 Failure Modes.

To Create Functions

1.	Open the RCM2 analysis and select the Facilitation view, Info Worksheet tab. By default, the “View as Form” icon () is selected in the Functions and Functional failures areas.

2.	Make sure that editing is enabled.

3.	In the Functions area, click to create a function.

The function is automatically assigned a sequential RCM2 reference number.

4.	In the Function box, describe the function.

Tip: You can also copy functions, their functional failures, failure modes, and action plans into the analysis. Click Browse. The Copy Failure Modes wizard appears. For information about using the wizard, see Copying RCM2 Failure Modes.

5.	You can define additional functions at this point by clicking the New icon again. You can add functional failures and failure modes for the function now or later.

Tip: To re-sequence functions as needed, click to view the functions in a table. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change their order. The sequence numbers change accordingly.

To Define a Function’s Functional Failure

1.	In the Info Worksheet tab, ensure that the correct function is displayed in the form view. You can use the buttons to navigate between functions, functional failures, and failure modes.

Button	Function
	Go to the first object
	Go to the previous object
	Go to the next object
	Go to the last object
	Create an object

2.	In the Functional failures area, click . The functional failure is assigned a sequential RCM2 reference letter. The Functional failure box is open for editing.

3.	Enter an explanation of the functional failure.

4.	You can define additional functional failures at this point by clicking the New icon again. You can add failure modes for the functional failure now or later.

Tip: To re-sequence functional failures as needed, click to view them in a table. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change their order.

To Create a Failure Mode

1.	In the Info Worksheet tab, ensure that the correct function and functional failure are displayed. You can use the buttons to navigate between functions, functional failures, and failure modes.

2.	The Information worksheet configuration is best viewed in table mode, which is the default selection. Click the New list and then From Scratch. The Maintenance Action Plan window appears, showing the function and functional failure. For example:

The Failure mode reference area displays the unique identifier for the failure mode, which consists of the number assigned to the function, the functional failure’s letter, and a sequential number assigned to the failure mode.

Tip: You can hide the notes boxes by selecting an option in the analysis’ failure mode options. In the Strategy Development Analysis window, select the Properties view and the Failure Mode Options tab. On the User Interface tab, click Hide notes sidebar.

3.	To assign the failure mode to another asset in the analysis:

•	Click Change. The Change Asset dialog appears.

•	Browse for an asset and enter a note, if required.

•	Click OK. The dialog closes and the asset number and name are shown in the Asset box.

Tip: Select the Asset History view to see information about the analysis asset’s checksheets, failures, work orders, and work requests. If APM has been configured to access live information in an SAP Plant Maintenance system, you can view the notifications and maintenance orders associated with the analysis asset’s equipment or functional location.

4.	Describe the failure mode in the Failure mode box.

5.	You have the following choices to record failure effects, depending on the tabs displayed:

If the Failure effects box is displayed, describe what happens when the failure mode occurs.

If the analysis supports extended failure effects, select the appropriate tabs and enter information:

•	Local Effects –Local effect on the piece of equipment

•	Intermediate Effects – Intermediate effect on a higher level equipment or asset

•	End Effects – End effect on the asset or system being analyzed

•	Worst-case Effects

Tip: Click to open the Extended Effects dialog.

6.	In the Failure mode failure, part and cause area, select a failure and cause from the lists and enter a description of the effected part.

7.	In the Evident list, select “Yes” or “No”. A failure mode is evident if its effects become apparent to the operating crew under normal circumstances if the failure mode occurs on its own.

8.	If you wish to analyze a complex failure mode in its own analysis, select Analyze separately.

You can link the failure mode to an analysis request that is tracked by a project. Select the RCM2 Evaluation view and click the Link button at the bottom:

See Creating Analysis Requests for RCM2 Failure Modes.

You can then close the Maintenance Action Plan window. The current analysis maintains a reference to the failure mode, but you cannot assign it a recommended strategy.

9.	Select the Susceptibility view, if available, to perform susceptibility to failure analysis. For more information, see Evaluating Susceptibility to Failure for RCM2 Failure Modes.

10.	Select the Criticality view to perform risk analysis. For more information, see Performing RCM2 Failure Mode Risk Analysis.

11.	Select the Failure Information view, Failure Data tab to provide failure-tracking information. For more information, see Recording Failure Data for RCM2 Analyses.

12.	Select the Failure Information view, Failure Pattern tab to record the failure pattern. For more information, see Recording Failure Data for RCM2 Analyses.

13.	Select the RCM2 Evaluation view to analyze the consequences of the failure modes and arrive at strategies for preventing or mitigating failures. For more information, see Evaluating RCM2 Failure Mode Consequences.

14.	Select the Feasibility view to evaluate whether the proposed maintenance strategies are worth doing; that is, whether implementing the maintenance tasks will cost less than the savings achieved by avoiding the failure. For more information, see Evaluating the Feasibility of RCM2 Maintenance Tasks.

15.	Select the Implementation view to develop action plans. For more information, see Developing Primary RCM2 Action Plans.

16.	Select the Details view and tab to select a failure type and failure classification, assign usage details, and see review requests and related root causes. For more information, see Recording and Reviewing RCM2 Failure Mode Details.

17.	Select the Details view, Documents tab to browse for standard documents that are relevant to the analysis.

18.	Select the Details view, Symptoms tab to assign keywords or phrases that summarize the evidence an operator would see when the failure occurs or is about to occur. For more information, see Adding Symptoms to an RCM2 Failure Mode.

19.	Select the Details view and various Notes tabs to add and review the analysis, risk evaluation, and RCM2 evaluation notes.

20.	Save the failure mode and close the Maintenance Action Plan window. The failure mode is added to the Info Worksheet tab.