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Human error rate is high and thus without repeatable, effective maintenance procedures create errors which are called failures. Maintenance professionals actually think procedures are not required because they "know how to do it". However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Over our careers we have seen thousands of examples of human variation creating equipment failure. 

We as humans are built to produce variation in almost everything we do. Most people deny this human variation exists. However, when managers are asked if they ever could not find their car keys they look at me sheepishly and say, "Yes, great point". Many companies honestly believe there maintenance staff members are paid to "know how to do it" without a procedure with specifications, step by step instructions, etc. What if a maintenance employee does "know how to do it" every time?

 One must take into consideration skill level, current state mind, and current working condition, in order to mitigate human error. In addition, what would happen if new information presents itself based on failure data? The only way to ensure this new information is used effectively would be to write or change a procedure.

"Well-designed maintenance procedures and a solid procedures feedback and follow-up process will mitigate human induced failures and allow for continuous improvement to occur naturally".

If a company wants to optimize asset reliability, then repeatable, effective procedures cannot be optional. Did you know that the most complex equipment ever built was a nuclear submarine and that the first nuclear submarines experienced failures due to lack of effective procedures, thus ending in catastrophic failure?

You can download this article at: https://worldclassmaintenance.org/articles-of-the-week

Human error rate is high and thus without repeatable, effective maintenance procedures create errors which are called failures. Maintenance professionals actually think procedures are not required because they "know how to do it". However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Over our careers we have seen thousands of examples of human variation creating equipment failure. 

We as humans are built to produce variation in almost everything we do. Most people deny this human variation exists. However, when managers are asked if they ever could not find their car keys they look at me sheepishly and say, "Yes, great point". Many companies honestly believe there maintenance staff members are paid to "know how to do it" without a procedure with specifications, step by step instructions, etc. What if a maintenance employee does "know how to do it" every time?

 One must take into consideration skill level, current state mind, and current working condition, in order to mitigate human error. In addition, what would happen if new information presents itself based on failure data? The only way to ensure this new information is used effectively would be to write or change a procedure.

"Well-designed maintenance procedures and a solid procedures feedback and follow-up process will mitigate human induced failures and allow for continuous improvement to occur naturally".

If a company wants to optimize asset reliability, then repeatable, effective procedures cannot be optional. Did you know that the most complex equipment ever built was a nuclear submarine and that the first nuclear submarines experienced failures due to lack of effective procedures, thus ending in catastrophic failure?

You can download this article at: https://worldclassmaintenance.org/articles-of-the-week

Human error rate is high and thus without repeatable, effective maintenance procedures create errors which are called failures. Maintenance professionals actually think procedures are not required because they "know how to do it". However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Over our careers we have seen thousands of examples of human variation creating equipment failure. 

We as humans are built to produce variation in almost everything we do. Most people deny this human variation exists. However, when managers are asked if they ever could not find their car keys they look at me sheepishly and say, "Yes, great point". Many companies honestly believe there maintenance staff members are paid to "know how to do it" without a procedure with specifications, step by step instructions, etc. What if a maintenance employee does "know how to do it" every time?

 One must take into consideration skill level, current state mind, and current working condition, in order to mitigate human error. In addition, what would happen if new information presents itself based on failure data? The only way to ensure this new information is used effectively would be to write or change a procedure.

"Well-designed maintenance procedures and a solid procedures feedback and follow-up process will mitigate human induced failures and allow for continuous improvement to occur naturally".

If a company wants to optimize asset reliability, then repeatable, effective procedures cannot be optional. Did you know that the most complex equipment ever built was a nuclear submarine and that the first nuclear submarines experienced failures due to lack of effective procedures, thus ending in catastrophic failure?

You can download this article at: https://worldclassmaintenance.org/articles-of-the-week

Good points Karl and I agree.  Good reminder from Ricky Smith.

I write and have written a lot of procedures over the years to address all kinds of reliability issues.  I firmly believe in the power of having good procedures; however, I would offer these watchouts.

• Keep a difference in procedures and training.  I've seen too many procedures turn into a length training document on every detail of how to do something.  No one doing a task is going to sit down and follow a 100 step, 50 page procedure every time.   If we want procedures to be used and provide value they should be short with relevant information for the person executing.
• Procedures today are often overused by management as a get out of audit jail document.  Most companies have so many procedures that they don't know where they all are or have no chance that all employees can access or use them.  We create procedures for everything even the most common sense things.
• Having procedures are great but it only matters which one's we are executing.

Preventing human error is a multi-discipline activity of which procedures are part of it.  Good topic for discussion.

Human error rate is high and thus without repeatable, effective maintenance procedures create errors which are called failures. Maintenance professionals actually think procedures are not required because they "know how to do it". However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Over our careers we have seen thousands of examples of human variation creating equipment failure. 

We as humans are built to produce variation in almost everything we do. Most people deny this human variation exists. However, when managers are asked if they ever could not find their car keys they look at me sheepishly and say, "Yes, great point". Many companies honestly believe there maintenance staff members are paid to "know how to do it" without a procedure with specifications, step by step instructions, etc. What if a maintenance employee does "know how to do it" every time?

 One must take into consideration skill level, current state mind, and current working condition, in order to mitigate human error. In addition, what would happen if new information presents itself based on failure data? The only way to ensure this new information is used effectively would be to write or change a procedure.

"Well-designed maintenance procedures and a solid procedures feedback and follow-up process will mitigate human induced failures and allow for continuous improvement to occur naturally".

If a company wants to optimize asset reliability, then repeatable, effective procedures cannot be optional. Did you know that the most complex equipment ever built was a nuclear submarine and that the first nuclear submarines experienced failures due to lack of effective procedures, thus ending in catastrophic failure?

You can download this article at: https://worldclassmaintenance.org/articles-of-the-week

Human error rate is high and thus without repeatable, effective maintenance procedures create errors which are called failures. Maintenance professionals actually think procedures are not required because they "know how to do it". However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Over our careers we have seen thousands of examples of human variation creating equipment failure. 

We as humans are built to produce variation in almost everything we do. Most people deny this human variation exists. However, when managers are asked if they ever could not find their car keys they look at me sheepishly and say, "Yes, great point". Many companies honestly believe there maintenance staff members are paid to "know how to do it" without a procedure with specifications, step by step instructions, etc. What if a maintenance employee does "know how to do it" every time?

 One must take into consideration skill level, current state mind, and current working condition, in order to mitigate human error. In addition, what would happen if new information presents itself based on failure data? The only way to ensure this new information is used effectively would be to write or change a procedure.

"Well-designed maintenance procedures and a solid procedures feedback and follow-up process will mitigate human induced failures and allow for continuous improvement to occur naturally".

If a company wants to optimize asset reliability, then repeatable, effective procedures cannot be optional. Did you know that the most complex equipment ever built was a nuclear submarine and that the first nuclear submarines experienced failures due to lack of effective procedures, thus ending in catastrophic failure?

You can download this article at: https://worldclassmaintenance.org/articles-of-the-week

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Ricky Smith CMRP CMRT
Vice President
World Class Maintenance
Central, SC
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