To implant an RCM program
requires some steps to ensure its feasibility, we must keep in mind that this
program is included in a full continuous improvement plan that must be
sustainable in the long-temp.
These steps could be:
1. Creating a reliability culture, from the senior management to all
levels of the organization. This culture should have expressed support from
the executive director and should focus on the benefits for the company as a
whole. It can start with training, conferences, workshops, and promotional campaigns.
2. Developing a project team, it can include the following roles:
a. A Sponsor sponsors the project and gives authorities (e.g. an
executive manager).
b. A Project Manager establishes a strategy, planning with milestones,
and a control plan (e.g. the maintenance manager).
c. An RCM Leader manages the project, communicates results, ensures deadlines,
and monitors the project development (e.g. the reliability engineer).
d. An RCM Facilitator, with an expertise in the methodology, facilitates
analysis process and ensures the project makes progress according to process through
the introduction of best practices (an external consultant is recommended).
e. An RCM Team develops the analysis according to the methodology and the strategy of the project, it can perform audits and analysis reviews or a
specific team for audits and reviews can be needed; the team should be multidisciplinary
and include members of maintenance, operations, and planning departments, even
it can include external advisers or vendor representatives.
f. An RCM Implantation Team can be formed by members of the RCM Team specialized
in the start-up of the process.
3. Establishing targets and strategies, in accordance with the organization
goals, vision, mission, and strategy.
4. Performing the RCM analysis, in accordance with the methodology and the selected logic
tree, to perform the analysis in the plant as a whole but the process must
start with the more critical equipment or with the worst actors.
5. Implementing the RCM analysis, in the selected equipment, including
the tasks and actions definitions, coordinating with other departments of the
organization and stakeholders, defining procedures, collecting data, and
calculating key performance indicators; this function can be done in parallel
with new RCM analysis.
6. Checking and analyzing results, based on indicators defined and
implanted during the analysis, benefits are assessed, and any variation in the expected
results should be analyzed by the root cause analysis process.
7. Keeping with the RCM plan, the plan must go on indefinitely, reviewing
indicators, analyzing failure data, updating procedures and training programs,
monitoring results, and updating the RCM program in according with changes in
the work conditions and the latest technologies, so that the reliability
improvements and the cost savings can be sustained in the long-temp.