Reliability Improvement Fake News

Fake news is a form of information consisting of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional news media (print and broadcast), consultants, trainers or online social media.

When it comes to Reliability the world is FULL of fake news.

One of the biggest Fake News reports is about "Improving Reliability".

Reliability Leadership Institute members, some of the largest and most successful organizations in the world, listen for vendors using the code word "Improving Reliability". They respectfully listen during the call or meeting and then move on to an organization that demonstrate a realistic understanding of intentional achievement of Reliability. They know fake news when they hear it.

Once you design, build and commission an asset or system, the Reliability is set. It is often referred to as "inherent reliability" or "operational reliability" which is inherent reliability minus shortfalls in design, build and commission. You can read more about the topic of inherent reliability here.  

In Ten Rights of Asset Management, Ramesh Gulati and I describe ten phases of typical asset lifecycle.  The first 5 phases or rights offer huge opportunities for reliability improvement, the next 5 phases or rights offer very little opportunity to improve reliability (see graphic below). 

Reliability is NOT about continuous improvement, it is about planning, design, build, commission and then ensuring reliability can achieved through performance of operations and maintenance in accordance with the design specification.

Why do people and organizations seem to chase post-commissioning asset reliability improvements where the opportunities are so limited rather than focus on early asset lifecycle reliability improvement opportunities?

That is easy - it is because that is what is being taught by the associations, training organizations, consultants, gadget vendors and the commercial trade press. Prior to COVID-19 there were conferences from Australia, the UK, Canada, Latin America, the United States, Africa, India and the Middle East that focused on "Reliability Improvement" for brownfield or installed assets.

Misinformation is a contagion itself - in some ways much worse than COVID-19 and costs industrial organizations billions of dollars.

So what can Reliability Leaders do?

Ten Steps to Achieve Reliability (Not improve it)

1) Do what you need to do in order to understand the function and the Inherent/Operational Reliability of the asset or system. 

2) Understand the gap between current reliability performance and Inherent/Operational Reliability of the asset or system.

3) Ensure that the business context (capacity/production drive or cost reduction drive or both) is well understood

4) Create a technical valid and economically viable Preventive Maintenance Plan based on Reliability Strategy Development (Failure Modes and Mechanisms, Function, Criticality, RCM, FMEA, FMECA)

5) Lead a culture of empowered and engaged, cross functional Reliability Leaders who collaboration to stop defects from entering the system and actively collaborate to remove existing defects.

6) Ensure Executive Sponsors are active and knowledgeable about basic reliability (failure) concepts.

7) Ensure a technology framework (EAM/APM/AIM/BIM/AI/ML/Condition Monitoring, IIoT etc...) that effectively supports the Reliability strategy and plan

8) Ensure Performance metrics are in place that drive "realizing reliability" and empowered/engaged, cross-functional front line leaders.

9) Learn, teach, coach, mentor, communicate, clarify and focus on people, people, people.

10) Split investment and effort between technology and people development. Achieving reliability is a well known technical journey, What is less known and even less practiced is steering an effective people journey.  

"Reliability is People" - Terrence O'Hanlon

Four steps to Improve Reliability

1) Design it right

2) Build it right

3) Commission it right

4) Modify it right when required

I hope you find this post useful.

I am NOT posting as Reliability Expert like many of my colleagues who "know it all" and who teach continuous improvement for Reliability of brownfield assets.

In reality, many of my colleagues, even with 20-30 years experience really have two weeks experience, repeated over and over again for the past 20-30 years. Do not confuse longevity or repetitive process delivery with wisdom.

I am a lifelong student of Reliability and I am hoping some readers will teach me more about this topic as result of this post.

Be safe and please stay healthy.

Postscript

A message from Reliability and Lubrication Guru Matt Spurlock of Delta P Reliability:

I read your article: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/failure-unsatisfactory-condition-terrence-ohanlon/ and understand and agree with the definitions of inherent reliability and operational reliability. 

In this article, "Reliability Improvement Fake News", you write, "Once you design, build and commission an asset or system, the Reliability is set.". Does this imply that so long as you follow the OEM recommendations for the system, the inherent reliability that was designed, built, and commissioned into the system is what it is and can never be better? I'd venture to say that the 4th step in your "Four steps to Improve Reliability" would, in fact, extend the original inherent reliability. If I'm thinking correctly, then we actually can change the original inherent reliability for the better. Am I missing something here? 

I look forward to your thoughts.

Great question/discussion Matt!

First allow me to make a distinction. You can almost always improve a Reliability Strategy to achieve inherent Reliability. Performing Maintenance Task Analysis, PM Optimization, Reliability-centered Maintenance, Root Cause Analysis and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis can almost always improve the Preventive Maintenance Plan but does not improve the inherent Reliability.

In your speciality area, if you modify an asset (adding oil sample ports, desiccant breathers, improved and easier filtering, etc...) could improve the inherent reliability.

In Review: You can often improve the Reliability Strategy to achieve inherent Reliability. You can modify an asset to improve inherent Reliability.

I hope that makes it a little clearer.

I am very grateful for your comment and it served to expand and amplify my learning around this topic.