RCM Specialists - Mutual Consultants LTD

Formed in 1991,
Mutual Consultants Ltd

specialises in the field of
asset management. Our clients
are both large and small (including
defence, government and multi-nationals)
and are from a wide cross-section of industries.
We are able to offer very experienced and
practised consultants.
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Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2)
Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS)
Reliability-centred Spares (RCS)
Rationalisation and Balancing (RaB)
Bespoke Software Development (BSD)
Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM)
Railway Depot Modelling (RDM)
RCM Desktop Software
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Your Needs
Working Together…
Please click on the links below to find how our products and services dovetail with your
requirements:
Our Cost Reduction Solutions
Our Culture Change Solutions
Our Capital Project Solutions
Our Six Sigma/Quality Solutions
Our Asset Management Solutions
Our Performance Improvement Solutions
Our Safety/Environmental Integrity Solutions
Working Together…
Mutual Consultants works closely with clients to meet their specific needs – please do not
hesitate to contact us if your particular requirements are not addressed by the services we offer –
we may know of other organisations that could help you!
Our Cost Reduction Solutions
For many years, cost reduction has been at the top of the agenda as company directors strive to
meet shareholders' expectations. In most companies the "easy" wins have already been achieved
and so the focus is either to maintain the current position or to look very closely at each element
of the business in order to extract the last remaining opportunities for cost reduction.
Our clients regularly use our services to assist with cost reduction in the following areas:
• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you believe your

organisation is carrying out unnecessary maintenance or you are keen to
contain future maintenance expenditure then click here.
• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

major capital project and wish to minimise the costs associated with
downstream modifications or poor performance then click here.
• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you feel that you have too much
money tied up in spare parts, are considering vendor stockholding or if
you have a major capital project then click here.
• Rationalisation and Balancing of Maintenance Schedules (RaB) - If

your maintenance department operates inefficiently because it
experiences significant peaks and troughs in routine workload then click
here.
• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your cost reduction efforts

are being hampered by the absence of a suitable “off-the-shelf” software
package then click here.
• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to identify cost

reduction opportunities but are held back by the complex relationships
between a large number of variable factors in your production process
then click here.
• RCM Desktop Software – If your RCM facilitators are spending too

much of their time juggling with flip charts and typing analyses into a
computer then give them a break – click here.
<< Back to Your Needs

Our Culture Change Solutions
Bringing about culture change in an organisation is fraught with difficulties. For many years
companies thought that culture change could simply be brought about by sending employees on
a training course; this rarely, however, has lasting results. Training is not enough - employees
have to learn to change they way they think (which may require training) and then learn to apply
these changed thought processes to their day-to-day work, one step at a time.
Culture change takes time, and the process may be bumpy. Some people get used to it quickly,
and other people take more time. The time taken will depend on the commitment to change and
whether this commitment is demonstrated in practice; it will also depend on whether the vision of
what the change should look like is clear and if all actions are consistent with this vision.
Our clients regularly use our services to assist with culture change in the following areas:
• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you believe that your

organisation is carrying out unnecessary maintenance or is keen to bring
about continuous improvement then click here

major capital project and want to avoid the experiences you have suffered
in the past then click here
• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you wish to overcome the

problems inherent in the traditional methods for determining spares stock
levels (typically a mixture of gut feel, manufacturer's recommendations
and subjective judgments of service level) or wish to break out of the
'slash and burn' approach to reducing stock levels then click here
• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your plans for change are

being hampered by the absence of a suitable “off-the-shelf” software
package then click here.
• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to identify

opportunities for changing the way you operate your plant but are held
back by the complex relationships between a large number of variable
factors in your production process then click here

Our Capital Project Solutions
All too often, when new equipment is purchased the emphasis is on the initial purchase or
procurement costs and the success of the new-build project team is measured according to their
ability to deliver the equipment on time and to a price. Once this has been achieved, the
equipment is handed over to the ultimate users and maintainers.
It is at this stage that the problems of operating costs and performance become apparent. The
operations and maintenance managers are then faced with the (often impossible) tasks of
increasing equipment reliability and availability whilst containing operating costs. This struggle
may remain unresolved throughout the life-cycle of the asset and may even lead to its premature
retirement. There is considerable financial incentive for both the supplier and the user to get the
design right the first time.
Our clients regularly use our services to assist with capital projects in the following areas:
• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you wish to have

optimised maintenance tasks available for your new plant/equipment from
day one then click here

major capital project and want to avoid the experiences you have suffered
in the past or if there is considerable financial incentive for both the
supplier and the user to get the design right first time then click here

and subjective judgments of service level) then click here

you wish to minimise your maintenance related life-cycle costs and avoid
significant peaks and troughs in routine maintenance workload then click
here
• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your asset management

efforts are being hampered by the absence of a suitable “off-the-shelf”
software package or if you have software packages that are not as
flexible as you would wish then click here
• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to "check that the

design will work" and hence avoid costly mistakes then click here

Our Six Sigma/Quality Solutions
With high levels of automation, product quality is usually a function of how equipment is
maintained and set up rather than a function of the people who operate the equipment. This
presents a challenge to the organisation as the equipment is often critical to the business.
Highly automated equipment needs a combination of traditional maintenance skills and specialist
knowledge. The approach to operating and maintaining highly automated plant is different from
traditional plant - attention to detail is very important if you want to maximise the output and
product quality from such plant. What is essential is a good working knowledge of the equipment
(ie how it works as a whole) and robust procedures.
Highly automated equipment produces large volumes of product quickly and efficiently, with
minimal intervention. The more complex the equipment, however, the more opportunity there is
for failures to occur and (unless the plant has been designed to be particularly fault tolerant) even
small failures can have a spectacular impact on output quality, throughput volume and yield.
Our clients regularly use our services to assist with quality improvement in the following areas:
• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you wish to determine

optimum maintenance and operating procedures for your plant/equipment
in order to ensure product quality and support Six Sigma initiatives then
click here

major capital project or are applying Six Sigma to a major capital project
and want to ensure that design weaknesses that might affect product
quality are identified before it is too late then click here
• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you wish to develop a structured

procedure to overcome the problems inherent in the traditional methods
for determining spares stock levels (typically a mixture of gut feel,
manufacturer's recommendations and subjective judgments of service
level) or wish to manage your approach to reducing stock levels then click
here
• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your Six Sigma initiatives or

management of product quality are being hampered by the absence of a
suitable "off-the-shelf" software package or if you have software
packages that are not as flexible as you would wish then click here

Our Asset Management Solutions
Compare what happens when things go wrong in the two worlds of financial and physical asset
management. The worst consequences of the irresponsible custodianship of financial assets are
that a business may go bankrupt and its custodians end up in prison. However, the worst
consequences of the incorrect or irresponsible custodianship of physical assets is that people die
(sometimes in very large numbers) or output is compromised (possibly threatening the financial
stability of the organisation).
Organisations often spend much more energy on the high precision management of their financial
assets than on their physical assets. Increasingly, however, there is considerable financial and
moral incentive to improve the management of physical assets within an organisation.
Our clients regularly use our services to assist with asset management in the following areas:
• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you wish to adopt the

ultimate asset management tool and optimise the routine maintenance
carried out on your plant/equipment then click here

major capital project and want to avoid asset management difficulties in
the future then click here

and subjective judgments of service level) or wish to break out of the
“slash and burn” approach to reducing stock levels then click here

you wish to minimise your maintenance related life-cycle costs and avoid
significant peaks and troughs in routine maintenance workload then click
here
• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your asset management

efforts are being hampered by the absence of a suitable "off-the-shelf"
software package or if you have software packages that are not as
flexible as you would wish then click here
• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to test ideas for

changing the asset management on your process and iterate towards the
best solution (without resorting to time consuming and costly trial and
error) then click here

Our Performance Improvement Solutions
In the words of one client, "We have reached the limit of cost reduction, we now need to focus on
performance improvement in order to meet our shareholders’ expectations for returns”. This is a
message we hear regularly and, after years of cost reduction programmes, organisations are now
investing in both new capital equipment and new approaches in order to improve performance.
With high levels of automation, performance improvement is usually a function of how equipment
is maintained and set up. This presents a challenge to the organisation as the equipment is often
critical to the business - the good news, however, is that there is often much scope for increasing
throughput. Highly automated equipment produces large volumes of product quickly and
efficiently, with minimal intervention - it can also produce large volumes of scrap quickly and
efficiently! The more complex the equipment, the more opportunity there is for failures to occur
and (unless the plant has been designed to be particularly fault tolerant) even small failures can
have a spectacular impact on output quality, throughput volume and yield.
Our clients regularly use our services to assist with performance improvement in the following
areas:
• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If your organisation is

susceptible to quite small failures that have a profound effect on output or
if you wish to increase output and contain maintenance costs without
compromising plant safety or the environment then click here

major capital project and a 'smooth' start up is essential then click here
• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you have experienced poor

performance as a result of the non-availability of spare parts or are
considering vendor stock holding to avoid this problem in the future then
click here

your maintenance department experiences significant peaks and troughs
in routine maintenance workload which disrupt plant performance then
click here
• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your performance

improvement efforts are being hampered by the absence of a suitable
"off-the-shelf" software package then click here
• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to identify

performance improvement opportunities but are held back by the complex
relationships between a large number of variable factors in your
production process then click here

Our Safety/Environmental Integrity Solutions
Being a "good" employer or neighbour means that close attention to safety and environmental
integrity is obligatory - the problem is that progress in this respect is difficult to monitor and
quantify.
What is important, therefore, is that you employ robust systems and have credible audit trails so
that decisions made today concerning safety and the environment can be revisited in the future in
the light of experience. Attention to detail is paramount.
This, however, comes with a cost - it essential, therefore, that every pound spent on maintaining
and sustaining safety and environmental integrity is spent where it will do the most good.
Our clients regularly use our services to assist with improving safety and environmental integrity
in the following areas:
• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If your organisation is

subject to rising public and legislative demands for safety and
environmental integrity or if you wish to increase output/contain
maintenance costs without compromising safety or environmental
integrity then click here

major capital project and safety and/or environmental integrity is an issue
then click here
• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your safety or environmental

integrity is potentially being compromised by the absence of a suitable
"off-the-shelf" software package then click here

RCM0901
“A process used to determine

what must be done to ensure that
any physical asset continues to do what
its users want it to do”
Overview of Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2)
Definition
Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) is a process used to determine the maintenance
requirements of any physical asset in its operating context.
The Future
Reliability and maintainability is increasingly important in modern manufacturing plant - many
world class companies use RCM2 to maximise plant output and optimise costs.
Origin
RCM was developed to meet the challenges of the civil aircraft industry. In the west, every civilian
aircraft has its maintenance requirements determined by RCM before it leaves the drawing board.
Timescales
RCM2 yields results very quickly; you can complete several RCM2 analyses on new or existing
equipment and achieve substantial benefits in less than a year.
Application
Maintenance people on their own cannot answer the questions posed by RCM2. For this reason
"Analysis Groups" are established to apply RCM2.
Mutual Consultants' Role

Mutual Consultants' role is to impart an understanding of RCM2 to clients and provide support
and guidance in its application; our goal is for clients to become competent to apply RCM2
themselves.
Benefits
Applied correctly, RCM2 yields the following benefits:
• Safety - greater safety and environmental integrity
• Performance - improved operating performance
• Quality - improved quality
• Cost Effectiveness - greater maintenance cost effectiveness
• Life Cycle Cost - optimised maintenance workloads
• Equipment Life - longer useful life
• Maintenance Data - a comprehensive data base
• Motivation - Greater motivation & wider "ownership" of maintenance tasks
• Teamwork - Better teamwork
www.mutualconsultants.co.uk info@mutualconsultants.co.uk +44 (0)1788 555000

Intentionally Blank
Contents
MAINTENANCE HAS CHANGED ............................................ 1

Increased Expectations ......................................... 1
How Equipment Fails ............................................. 2
Advances in Maintenance Techniques................. 3
RELIABILITY-CENTRED MAINTENANCE .............................. 3
Operating Context and Functions......................... 4
Functional Failures ................................................ 5
Failure Modes ......................................................... 5
Failure Effects......................................................... 6
Failure Consequences ........................................... 7
Proactive Tasks ...................................................... 8
Defaults Actions ................................................... 10
APPLYING RCM..................................................................... 11
WHAT RCM ACHIEVES ......................................................... 12
Safety .................................................................... 13
Performance ......................................................... 12
Quality ................................................................... 13
Cost Effectiveness ............................................... 13
Life Cycle Cost ..................................................... 13
Equipment Life ..................................................... 13
Maintenance Data................................................. 13
Motivation ............................................................. 13
Teamwork.............................................................. 13
MUTUAL CONSULTANTS’ ROLE ......................................... 14
CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 14
For More Information Please Contact.................................. 15
To open a printable version of this RCM brochure, please click

The world of equipment maintenance changed dramatically during
MAINTENANCE HAS the second half of the 20th century and it continues to do so today.
CHANGED Several major influences have been responsible for driving these
changes:
• An enormous increase in the the number of physical assets
(such as buildings, factories, public and personal transport)
that require maintenance
• Equipment has become extremely complex - for example, it is
now rare to find anything that does not contain a computer or
some electronics
• Industries (such as manufacturing and mass transport) now
put a much greater emphasis on safety and on operating
without damaging the environment
• We now have a much better understanding of how equipment
behaves, from installation to the point at which it fails.
When engineers were forced to respond to this wave of change, it
became clear that traditional maintenance methods were no longer
adequate - a new approach to equipment maintenance was required.
The commercial aviation industry was the first to realise that change
was necessary and committed significant resources to developing a
solution in the 1960s and 1970s. The results entered the public
domain in 1978 under the name "Reliability-centred Maintenance"
or "RCM".
Increased Expectations Looking back to the 1930s, we can divide up the years since then
into three “generations”. We can then examine the expectations
placed on the maintenance function in each of the three generations
as follows:
Growing Expectations of the Maintenance Function…
Historically, maintenance has Third Generation

evolved over three generations. • Increased automation &
RCM was developed to meet the complexity
challenges of the Third Generation • Higher availability &
reliability
• Greater cost-effectiveness
Second Generation • Greater safety
First Generation • Maximum output • Improved product quality
• Breakdown • Lower costs • Environmental integrity
maintenance • Longer asset life • Regulatory pressures
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010…
First Generation: prior to the Second World War, equipment was

relatively simple and over-designed, so it tended to be reasonably
reliable. The failures that did occur didn’t matter too much and were
RCM0901 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 Page RCM/1
quick and easy to repair. There was little need for the planned
maintenance systems that are commonplace today.
Second Generation: the Second World War quickly led to increased

demand for many types of manufactured goods and severely limited
the supply of skilled labour to industry. In response, factory
equipment became more mechanised and more complex. Failures
(and their downtime) began to matter more so “preventive”
maintenance systems were developed in an attempt to prevent them
- usually these were fixed interval overhauls.
Third Generation: the last 30-40 years have seen an enormous
increase in demand for manufactured goods and mass
transportation. Industry responded with ever more automation and
complexity in order to reduce the manpower needed to meet this
demand; this in turn greatly increased costs of ownership and
maintenance costs.
In industry generally, there is now extreme pressure on the
maintenance function to deliver maximum performance at
minimum cost.
How Equipment Fails We can also look back at what was generally understood about the
way in which equipment behaved and failed over the same three
generations:
A A maintenance re-think is required

where automation/complexity is high…
B Age-related
failures
Traditional ‘planned
C preventive maintenance’
targets age-related
failures; this maintenance
either wastes money or is
D
counter-productive when
applied to random
failures.
E Random
failures The proportion of random
failures grows as
F equipment becomes more
automated and complex.
First Generation: it was widely believed that new equipment had a

very low probability of failure and that this remained the case for a
long period of time. After a certain age, the equipment would "wear-
out" and, therefore, become more likely to fail.
Second Generation: an understanding of the concept of "infant
mortality" led to the notion of an initial high probability of failure
(which quickly settled down), followed by a long period of low failure
probability before wear-out resulted in equipment becoming more
likely to fail. Plotting conditional probability of failure against time on a
graph produces the classic "bathtub curve".
Page RCM/2 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 RCM0901

Equipment maintenance consisted of nursing the equipment through
the "bedding in" phase and then overhauling (or replacing) it before it
reached the wear-out phase.
Third Generation: in the 1960s and 1970s the civil aviation industry
undertook an extensive research project into the ways in which
equipment behaves and, in particular, how it fails. This research
showed that only 4% of civil aviation equipment failures actually fitted
the classic bathtub failure pattern and that there were, in fact, an
additional five failure patterns - most failures in the aviation industry
conform to the sixth pattern.
This new understanding of equipment failure made the civil aviation
industry realise that their existing maintenance regime was flawed
and even caused failures, some with catastrophic consequences.
A new approach to equipment maintenance was essential and
subsequently developed. The end result was what we now call
Reliability-centred Maintenance - RCM.
Advances in Maintenance The maintenance techniques available to engineers have grown in

Techniques number and complexity over the three generations:
First Generation: the only real option was to leave equipment
running and fix it if it failed.
Second Generation: the pressure for output fuelled demand for
higher equipment availability. This in turn led to the development of
the first “preventive maintenance” systems. Large and cumbersome
(by today's standards) computers were introduced into the
maintenance function in order to manage these systems.
Third Generation: Today there is a vast, and even bewildering,
range of highly advanced maintenance techniques available.
The problem for maintenance engineers (besides learning what the
available techniques are in the first place) is knowing which
techniques are appropriate for which equipment and how often to use
them.
RCM helps with this enormously.
The developers of RCM took the unusual view (at the time) that the
RELIABILITY- objective of equipment maintenance should be to keep the
CENTRED equipment doing whatever its users want it to do, rather than to
MAINTENANCE prevent failures for the sake of preventing failures.
With this emphasis on preserving what the user wants, Moubray
defines RCM as:
A process used to determine what must be done to
ensure that any physical asset continues to do what its
users want it to do in its present operating context.

It is, therefore, no surprise that determining the operating context and
what the user wants the equipment to do is the starting point for the
RCM process, which is applied by asking and answering the
following seven questions:
1. What are the functions and associated performance
standards of the asset in its present operating context?
2. In what ways does it fail to fulfil its functions?
3. What causes each functional failure?
4. What happens when failure occurs?
5. In what way does each failure matter?
6. What can be done to predict or prevent each failure?
7. What should be done if a suitable proactive task cannot
be found?
Each of these questions is considered in more detail in the following
sections.
Operating Context and 1. What are the functions and associated performance
Functions standards of the asset in its present operating context?
Operating Context
In order to answer question 1, it is important to have a clear
understanding of the operating context of the equipment being
studied. This is because the operating context can influence what
should be defined as failure and, therefore, whether a maintenance
task is worthwhile.
For example: consider a small diesel engine used to power trains.
This engine could be the only engine in a two-car train or it could be
one of eight in a much longer train. These are very different operating
contexts which will result in two very different views of what
constitutes failure.
If a cooling water pump fails, the engine will eventually overheat and
its protection will shut it down. On the two-car train this will result in
very serious operational consequences because the train will come
to a halt mid-journey. On the eight-car train it will result in a loss of
12% of its traction power. The train will continue to its destination with
only a minor delay.
Any maintenance task for the cooling water pump that is considered
in the RCM analysis will be much more likely to be evaluated as
worthwhile on the two-car train than on the eight-car train.
A similar logic will apply to many of the engine’s other failure modes,
resulting in two quite different maintenance schedules for the very
same engine.

Functions
A function is a statement of what the user of the equipment wants it
to do and to what standard of performance.
A complete set of functions for a piece of equipment represents the
objectives of its maintenance schedule. The user will be very happy if
the maintenance schedule keeps the equipment performing its
functions!
The function list is the foundations for the remainder of the RCM
analysis and the RCM analysis group will use it to deduce exactly
what is meant by failure. From this ‘failed state’, the RCM analysis
group can list the failure modes that could cause each failed state.
A system’s “primary function” is usually obvious, easy to determine
and normally states why the system was purchased in the first place.
However, most systems are expected to perform other “secondary
functions” which represent the user’s requirements for environmental
and safety integrity, protection, control, economy, appearance, etc.
Functional Failures 2. In what ways does it fail to fulfil its functions?

A system or piece of equipment is said to have ‘failed’ if it is unable to
perform its intended function(s) to the desired standard of
performance. This includes partial failure (as well as complete failure)
where the equipment still functions, but not to an acceptable standard
(e.g. it may be operating too slowly or producing poor quality).
By documenting functional failures, the RCM analysis group defines
the “failed state” (i.e. exactly what is meant by “failed” and “partially
failed”) for the equipment’s operating context.
The functional failures are the starting point for the RCM analysis
group to identify the failure modes that could cause the equipment to
be in the failed state.
Failure Modes 3. What causes each functional failure?

A failure mode is any event which is reasonably likely to cause a
functional failure. “Any event” is not limited to equipment failures
caused by wear and tear or deterioration (sudden or slow), but also
includes human error, poor procedures and design issues.
“Reasonably likely” (i.e. credible) failure modes fall into the following
broad categories:
• those that have occurred before on the same or similar
equipment
• those that are successfully being prevented by the existing
maintenance tasks
• those that do not fit the first two categories, but which are
considered to be real possibilities in the future for the
equipment’s operating context.

However, any unlikely failure modes that have extremely severe
consequences would also be considered.
When writing failure modes, it is important to identify the cause of the
failure in sufficient detail so that the RCM analysis group can identify
appropriate maintenance later in the RCM process (using the RCM
maintenance task selection logic).
Insufficient detail may well mean that appropriate maintenance tasks
are missed, rendering the analysis ‘superficial’ (and possibly
dangerous). On the other hand, if failure modes are identified in too
much detail the RCM analysis group could end up wasting time
unnecessarily.
Failure Effects 4. What happens when the failure occurs?

The RCM analysis group needs to have sufficient information so that
they can make robust decisions about how to manage each failure
mode.
In particular, the effects of each failure (i.e. what would happen when
the failure occurs if nothing was done to prevent it) are required. This
information allows the RCM analysis group to answer the questions
posed in the RCM decision logic.
The failure effects record the problems (e.g. any undesirable/costly
events) that the RCM-derived maintenance schedule is intended to
manage (i.e. predict or prevent).
Primary Function
Gathering the information…
Functional Failure
Failure Mode Failure Effect Starting with the

functions, RCM
documents and tracks in
what way the equipment
Secondary Function fails, what causes it to
fail and what happens
Functional Failure when it fails.
In this way RCM builds
up a complete audit trail
Failure Mode Failure Effect which may be used to
support a safety case.
The failure effects should, therefore, contain the following

information:
• how (if at all) the operating crew or organisation will know that
the failure has occurred
• whether the failure affects safety or the environment and, if so,
in what way
• the effects on equipment operation/output/customer service

• what secondary damage (if any) occurs on other
equipment/components as a result of the failure
• what action must be taken and what spare parts are required
in order to repair the failure
• what contingency action would be taken (if any) by the
organisation to manage the failure until the equipment is
repaired and returned to service.
The first 4 questions of the RCM process make up the information
gathering phase. The answers to these questions document what the
equipment or system should do (functions), how it could fail
(functional failures), what causes it to fail (failure modes) and what
problems result (failure effects) when it does fail.
This information becomes an excellent equipment reference which
can subsequently be used to support a safety case, act as an audit
trail, produce a comprehensive fault-finding guide and be the starting
point for determining spare parts provisioning and how to work-
around problems that arise when failures occur.
Failure Consequences 5. In what way does each failure matter?

RCM recognises that maintenance is actually far more about
preventing or mitigating the consequences of failure than about
preventing the failures themselves. In this way RCM focuses
maintenance spend where it will do the most good.
Some failures matter a great deal (i.e. they have severe
consequences) when they occur and some failures hardly matter at
all (i.e. they have insignificant or trivial consequences).
It is usually worth putting effort into predicting or preventing high-
consequence failures, even if they occur infrequently. On the other
hand, failures that matter very little are often tolerated, even if they
happen relatively frequently.
This can be illustrated by considering a simple maintenance task:
listening to a bearing for any signs of rumbling. The onset of any
unusual rumbling noise tells us that the bearing has already started
to fail and that it must be replaced in the near future (if we wish to
avoid the failure occurring). By checking the bearing for unusual
noise, we are not doing the task to prevent the bearing failure; we are
doing it in order to avoid the consequences of failure (which might be
an expensive if, say, the engine is destroyed).
RCM, therefore, categorises each failure according to the
consequences of failure as follows:
• Hidden: failures which are not evident to the operating crew
because, on their own, they have no direct effects
• Safety or Environmental: these are evident failures which
either affect safety (because they could injure or kill
someone) or could lead to a breach of an environmental
standard or regulation that applies to the asset

• Operational: these evident failures do not affect safety or the
environment, but they do have an adverse effect on
production or operations
• Non-operational: this category includes failures which are
evident to the operating crew and which incur only the direct
cost of repairing them because they do not affect safety, the
environment, production or operations.
Evaluating the Consequences of Failure…
Evident to Y Affect safety or N Affect N

operators? the environment? operations?
N Y Y
Hidden Failures Safety or Operational Non-operational
where the loss of Environmental Consequences Consequences
function will not Consequences where there is a which only
become evident where someone direct adverse involve the
under normal could be injured effect on direct cost of
circumstances or killed or an operations (output, repair
environmental product quality,
standard or customer service
regulation or increased costs
breached in addition to the
cost of repair)
The main focus of RCM is to manage the consequences of

failure so each failure mode is categorised according to its
consequences of failure…
Hidden failures are usually associated with equipment or systems

that provide some sort of protection (e.g. a boiler pressure relief
valve). Hidden failures on their own do not have any direct
consequences but they leave the protected equipment or system
without the protection that they should have - in the case of a
pressure relief valve failing closed, the boiler may explode if a second
failure causes the boiler to over-pressurise.
There are many ways in which a failure with Operational
consequences can incur costs; these include lost production,
increased operating costs, degradation in product quality, poor
customer service, etc.
Proactive Tasks 6. What can be done to predict or prevent each failure?

Once each failure mode has been categorised according to the
consequences of failure, a structured decision logic is used to select
maintenance tasks. The RCM decision logic first looks to see if it is
appropriate to perform a scheduled task to predict when the failure
mode is going to occur.
If such a task is not appropriate, RCM then considers whether the
failure should be prevented by regularly restoring the item’s original
resistance to failure before it fails and if not, whether a scheduled
replacement of the item (before it fails) is appropriate.

Predicting Failure
This entails monitoring the equipment in order to identify a
detrimental change (i.e. a warning) that indicates that the failure is in
the process of happening (early enough so that action can be taken
before the failure actually occurs). This is known as Condition-based
Maintenance or Condition Monitoring.
How often the equipment needs to be monitored is governed by the
time it would take from when the warning can be identified to the
point at which full failure occurs. This is illustrated in the diagram
below: the warning is shown at point P (Potential failure) and the full
failure occurs at point F (Functional failure).
On-condition Maintenance...
Failure starts to occur (which
may or may not be age-related)
P = Potential Failure (point where

100%
we can find out that it is failing)
P
Condition
F = Functional Failure
P-F Curve (which may or may
not be age-related)
0% F
Time PF Interval
This maintenance involves checking equipment (at intervals less
than the PF interval) to see if it is failing; the equipment is left in
service if its performance is satisfactory. Action is taken to reduce,
avoid or eliminate the consequences of failure if the potential
failure is detected.
The monitoring task should be carried out at an interval which is less

than the time between P and F (know as the P-F interval).
If it is practical to monitor for point P and the P-F interval is long
enough for action to be taken to reduce, avoid or eliminate the
consequences of failure then it may be possible to do the condition
monitoring task.
Preventing Failure
If failure cannot be predicted as it begins to occur, then RCM looks to
see if it can be prevented from occurring. This would mean
performing some sort of intervention before a failure even begins.
In the RCM task selection logic, the available choices are:
• Scheduled Restoration: this is where equipment is
overhauled at a fixed interval regardless of its condition at the
time
• Scheduled Discard: this is where a component is removed,
discarded and replaced (with a new one) at a fixed interval
regardless of its condition at the time.

Scheduled Restoration & Scheduled Discard Maintenance...
Wear -
Conditional
out
Probability
of Failure
zone
"LIFE"
Age
Scheduled Restoration & Scheduled Discard task intervals are

carried out before the equipment enters the wear-out zone. The
task interval is determined by the “life”.
Scheduled restoration and scheduled discard tasks are carried out

before the wear-out zone (i.e. towards the end of “life”, which is the
age at which its conditional probability of failure begins to rise
rapidly).
Sometimes these tasks are carried out earlier (i.e. the task is carried
out more often) if the consequences of failure are very severe. This
will increase the frequency of the scheduled task and provides a
“safety factor”.
Defaults Actions 7. What should be done if a suitable proactive task cannot be

found?
The RCM task selection logic ensures that proactive tasks are
identified only for those failure modes that need them. When a
suitable proactive task cannot be found there still remains the
question of what else could be done in order to manage the failure
mode.
Determining the Maintenance Requirements…
On-condition RCM is zero-based and uses a decision

Proactive Maintenance
task? algorithm to determine the failure

Y management policy for each failure
N
mode.
Scheduled
Restoration Proactive Maintenance is selected in
task? preference to a Default Action.
Y
N All the decisions made and their
Scheduled reasons are documented, building up
Discard a complete audit trail (which may be
task? used to support a safety case).
Y
N
The Default Actions vary according to
Default Action the consequences of failure
In addressing this question, RCM takes special note of the

consequences of failure. For example, where the consequences are
purely economic, RCM permits No Scheduled Maintenance (or Run-
to-Failure) as a valid default action; however, doing nothing is not an
option if the failure mode has safety or environmental consequences.
The possible default actions are:
• No Scheduled Maintenance: these failure modes are allowed
to happen and are then repaired. RCM permits this default
action only when the consequences of failure are economic
(i.e. Operational and Non-operational consequences)
• Failure-Finding: this applies only to failures which have
Hidden consequences. The protective device or system is
tested at regular intervals to check whether or not it is still
working (and is repaired if it is found to have failed)
• Redesign: RCM recognises that sometimes maintenance

cannot satisfactorily manage a failure mode and that a one-off
change may be necessary (to the equipment, the way it is
used or to the people who use it). Redesign is compulsory if a
proactive task cannot be found for failures modes that have
Safety or Environmental consequences whereas redesign is
optional for failures modes that have only economic
consequences.
APPLYING RCM It is not possible for one person to answer all the questions that RCM
asks. The solution is to bring together a group of people (the “RCM
analysis group”) who have technical knowledge about the equipment,
knowledge of its operation (within its current operating context) and a
basic understanding of RCM itself (through suitable training).
A sound understanding of the RCM process is also required in order
to guide the RCM analysis group through the RCM process and
achieve consensus in answering the questions. This role is fulfilled by
an RCM facilitator.
Applying RCM…
No one person can answer all the questions posed by RCM so a

group of people (who know the equipment best) is formed to apply
RCM. In this way, the “black hole” in knowledge is minimised.
Specialist The group carries out the RCM

Users analysis with the support and
guidance of a Facilitator who is
thoroughly trained in the RCM
process.
The group members undergo
Equipment RCM training so that they can
Supplier understand the process and
Maintenance have their maintenance
Function “mindsets” changed.

RCM analysis group members are drawn from equipment
maintainers, operators, possibly manufacturers/suppliers and
occasionally specialists. The most important factor is that they know
and understand the equipment being analysed using the RCM
process.
The aim is to reduce the size of the “black hole” in knowledge (i.e. the
black area in the box representing “all there is to know about the
equipment” in the diagram). Inevitably, there will be some gaps in the
group’s combined knowledge, but at the end of the RCM analysis
each group member will usually have acquired useful knowledge
about the equipment from other members of the group.
Under the guidance of the RCM facilitator, the group follows the RCM
process. The outputs of the analysis are:
• a list of maintenance tasks to be performed by maintenance
personnel at specified intervals
• a list of tasks to be performed by operating personnel at
specified intervals
• a list of redesigns to be considered for implementation.
When the RCM analysis is complete, the output should be audited by
whoever has overall responsibility for the equipment or system. This
is so they can satisfy themselves that the analysis has been carried
out correctly and that it is both sensible and defensible.
The final step is to implement the results of the RCM analysis when
the audit is complete.
WHAT RCM RCM has been applied in a wide range of industries in most countries
throughout the world. Correctly applied, RCM produces a
ACHIEVES maintenance schedule that is optimised for the equipment in its
operating context; the aim is to achieve inherent levels of equipment
reliability and availability. The RCM derived maintenance and the
process itself bring about the following benefits:
Performance Improved operating performance due to:

• an emphasis on the maintenance requirements of critical
equipment elements
• the extension or elimination of overhaul intervals
• shorter maintenance worklists giving less extensive and costly
shutdowns
• fewer “burn in” problems after maintenance by eliminating
unnecessary maintenance actions
• the identification of unreliable components

Safety Greater safety and environmental protection due to:
• improved maintenance of existing protective devices
• the systematic review of safety implications of every failure
• the application of clear strategies for preventing failure modes
which can affect safety or infringe upon environmental
regulations
• fewer failures caused by unnecessary maintenance
Quality Improved quality due to:

• a better understanding of equipment capacity and capability
• the clarification of equipment set-up specification and
requirements
• the confirmation or redefinition of equipment-operating
procedures
• a clearer definition of maintenance tasks or objectives
Cost Effectiveness Greater maintenance cost effectiveness due to:

• less unnecessary routine maintenance
• the prevention or elimination of expensive failures
• clearer operating policies
• clearer guidelines for acquiring new maintenance technology
Life Cycle Cost Reduced life cycle costs by optimising the maintenance workloads
and providing a clearer view of spares and staffing requirements
Equipment Life Longer useful life of expensive items due to an increased use of On-
condition maintenance techniques
Maintenance Data A comprehensive maintenance database which:

• provides a better understanding of the equipment in its
operating context
• leads to more accurate drawings and manuals
• allows maintenance schedules to be more adaptable to
changing circumstances
• documents the knowledge held by individuals on each piece of
equipment
Motivation Greater motivation of individuals, particularly those involved in the

review process. This gives improved understanding of the equipment
in its operating context and wider “ownership” of the resulting
maintenance schedules
Teamwork Better teamwork brought about by the highly-structured group

approach to maintenance problem analysis and decision making.

MUTUAL Our role is to impart an understanding of RCM to clients and provide
support and guidance in its application; our goal is for clients to
CONSULTANTS’ become competent to apply RCM themselves.
ROLE This is achieved via a combination of highly-developed training
courses, on-site technical support, contract facilitation (if required)
and the supply of purpose-written software.
The services we offer include:
• Highly developed RCM training courses (for both analysis
group members and facilitators)
• Contract facilitation (where appropriate)
• On-site technical support
• Supply of RCM Desktop software*
*The RCM Desktop software records the information collected and
the decisions made during the RCM process. For further information
about the software and its availability please click here.
If you would like further information click here or if you are interested
in attending one of our training courses then please click here.
CONCLUSION RCM yields results very quickly; most organisations can complete an
RCM review on existing equipment and achieve substantial benefits
in a matter of months.
It is also an ideal approach for determining the maintenance
requirements of new equipment of all kinds.
When applied correctly, it transforms both the maintenance
requirements themselves and the way in which the maintenance
function as a whole is perceived.

For More Information Simon Deakin or Steve Bailey
Please Contact
MUTUAL CONSULTANTS LTD
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000

Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Web site: http://www.mutualconsultants.co.uk

Email: info@mutualconsultants.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Mutual Consultants Ltd RCM0901
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
United Kingdom
www.mutualconsultants.co.uk
SDS0902
“A structured approach for

highlighting design weaknesses
in all types of plant and equipment
before the design leaves the drawing board”
Overview of Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS)
Definition
Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) is an approach applied at the design stage for highlighting
design weaknesses in all types of plant and equipment. It may be applied at the concept or detail-
design stages to help ensure that design weaknesses are identified before the design "leaves the
drawing board".
Supplier v User
Both the supplier of a piece of equipment and its ultimate user may have legitimately different
business objectives - this can cause conflict both during and after the equipment has been
supplied. The strength of SDS over traditional methods of design scrutiny lies in its systematic
approach which provides easily-understood criteria for identifying deficiencies (which promotes
“co-makership” between supplier and user, rather than 'conflict'). SDS gives the user an intimate
knowledge of the asset from day one.
Application
On their own, the suppliers of the new equipment or plant cannot answer all the questions posed
by SDS - neither can the ultimate users and maintainers. "Analysis Groups" are established to
apply SDS and hence scrutinise the design before manufacture commences.
Approach
SDS systematically scrutinises the design of the equipment against several decision criteria,
(usually relating to reliability, maintainability and supportability); other criteria may be included in
the design scrutiny if required.

Mutual Consultants' role is to impart an understanding of SDS to clients and provide support and
guidance in its application; our goal is for clients to become competent to apply SDS themselves.
Benefits
Applied correctly, SDS yields the following benefits:
• Safety and the Environment – the systematic review of safety implications of every
critical failure
• Performance - an emphasis on the design of crucial equipment elements and the
elimination of design weaknesses which would otherwise be undetected until the
equipment is in use
• Quality - a better understanding of equipment and the clarification of equipment set-up
requirements
• Cost Effectiveness - the prevention/elimination of design weaknesses and reduced life-
cycle costs

Intentionally Blank
Contents
STRUCTURED DESIGN SCRUTINY........................................ 1

WHY SDS? ............................................................................... 1
Life-Cycle Costs ..................................................... 1
Design Margins....................................................... 2
Co-makership ......................................................... 2
The Financial Incentive .......................................... 3
Conflicting Objectives ........................................... 3
WHERE IS A DESIGN SCRUTINY FOCUSED? ...................... 4
Availability .............................................................. 4
Reliability ................................................................ 4
Downtime ................................................................ 5
Other Reasons for a Design Scrutiny................... 6
THE SDS APPROACH ............................................................. 6
Numerical versus a Non-numerical Approach..... 6
Overview ................................................................. 7
THE PEOPLE INVOLVED ........................................................ 9
WHAT SDS ACHIEVES............................................................ 9
Safety .................................................................... 10
Performance ......................................................... 10
Quality ................................................................... 10
Cost Effectiveness ............................................... 10
Teamwork.............................................................. 11
Motivation ............................................................. 11
MUTUAL CONSULTANTS’ ROLE ......................................... 12
CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 12
For More Information Please Contact: ................................ 13
To open a printable version of this SDS brochure, please click

Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) is an approach applied at the
STRUCTURED design stage for highlighting design weaknesses in all types of plant
DESIGN SCRUTINY and equipment. It may be applied at the concept or detail-design
stages to help ensure that design weaknesses are identified before
the design "leaves the drawing board".
The process is normally applied when the detailed design is nearing
completion but before manufacture commences. Depending on the
nature of the equipment SDS may or may not be applied prior to
prototype testing; however, it should always be completed before the
final product goes into production or before major
assembly/construction begins.
WHY SDS? Traditionally the scrutiny of new designs has been either superficial
or detailed to the point of paralysing delivery of the product. The
objective of a Structured Design Scrutiny is to assist you to produce
a design which meets the user’s requirements for function (both
initially and over an extended period of time), and is cost-effective to
buy and operate.
Life-Cycle Costs All too often, when new equipment is purchased the emphasis is on
the initial purchase or procurement costs. What is more, the success
of the new-build project team is measured in their ability to deliver
the equipment on time and to a price. Once this has been achieved,
the equipment is handed over to the ultimate users and maintainers.
It is at this stage that the problems of operating costs and
performance become apparent. The operations and maintenance
managers are then faced with the (often impossible) tasks of
increasing equipment reliability and availability whilst containing
operating costs. This struggle may remain unresolved throughout the
life-cycle of the asset and may even lead to its premature retirement.
During the life of the asset, however, maintenance and production

managers have limited scope for enhancing machine performance.
This is because the level of performance is "inherent" in the design
of equipment and, little can be done to improve the situation without
major investment; they can only hope to match the performance
inherent in the design. What is even worse, this performance may be
woefully short of expectations.
SDS0902 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 Page SDS/1

Increasingly, companies are recognising the shortcomings of a "buy-
to-a-price" policy. As a result, the focus for new investment is no
longer limited to the initial purchase price but is expanding to include
the whole life-cycle costs of the asset.
The ultimate users and maintainers are now becoming involved at
the design stage to ensure that the performance requirements are
met whilst minimising the total life-cycle costs. The challenge for
companies adopting this philosophy lies in finding ways to structure
and control this involvement efficiently – hence the need for SDS.
Design Margins Traditionally, equipment was "over-designed" - i.e., the margin

between what the user of the equipment wants it to do and what it
can do is comfortably large.
Today, such an approach is impractical as a result of the pressures
created by designing to a price and the fact that equipment is
increasingly operating close to technological limits. Modern
equipment rarely has a generous margin of over-design. The net
result is a greater risk that the equipment will not perform to
expectations, leading to poor reliability and, ultimately, poor
availability. Design scrutiny is, therefore, becoming an essential step
in the process to ensure that the eventual design is "right first time" -
i.e., ensuring that there is sufficient margin in the design for it to work
from day one and to continue working.
Co-makership Skilled labour is becoming more difficult to recruit and retraining can
be an expensive alternative. Hence, some industries are insisting
that new equipment be operated and maintained by existing
personnel (to avoid unforeseen costs). These demands can
Page SDS/2 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 SDS0902
constrain the designers, particularly where proven modern
technologies are ignored in favour of less efficient and more
outdated solutions.
Much can be gained if the suppliers and designers of equipment and
the ultimate users and maintainers are involved in the design
process. The process is two-way, i.e. the design team can learn
much from the experience of personnel who have worked and
maintained existing (often similar) equipment and vice versa.
The requirement, therefore, is for a process which draws on the
knowledge of the design team (without hindering the process) yet
incorporates the inherent practical experience of the eventual
users/maintainers. This involves co-makership between the supplier
and the user.
The Financial Incentive The cost of design changes to an asset escalates rapidly as the
design process progresses. A modification may cost tens of pounds
to do on the drawing board (or CAD screen), thousands of pounds to
change during the development stage, tens of thousands of pounds
to change on the production line and hundreds of thousands (or even
millions) of pounds to change once the equipment is in use.
At best, shortcomings in the design will cost both parties dearly to

rectify - the user suffering delays in achieving output with a
corresponding loss of revenue - the supplier facing additional project
costs and, possibly, claims for liquidated damages. At worst, the
supplier may be bankrupted and the user left to pick up the
rectification costs or live with the problems. Consequently, there is
considerable financial incentive to both the supplier and the user to
get the design right the first time.
Conflicting Objectives In summary, therefore, both the supplier of a piece of equipment and
its ultimate user may have legitimately differing business objectives.
The supplier will want to minimise manufacturing costs and meet
production schedules and time constraints; after-sales support and
income will also be a major consideration (e.g., technical support,
monopolising the supply of spare parts, etc). The user, on the other
hand, requires an asset which will dependably perform the functions
required of it whilst minimising the initial purchase price and
subsequent operating and maintenance costs.

Sometimes, these objectives may be in direct conflict but must be
resolved by timely design reviews during the concept and detailed
design stages.
It is for these reasons that SDS was developed. Very briefly, it is a
process which is applied at the design stage to help ensure that
any piece of equipment meets the expectations of users, before
it is too late. It does so by systematically scrutinising the design of
the equipment against several decision criteria, (usually relating to
reliability, maintainability and supportability); other criteria (for
example, manufacturability or diposability) may be included in the
design scrutiny if required.
WHERE IS A DESIGN When new equipment is designed the primary requirement is for the
asset “to work on day one and go on working”. SDS was originally
SCRUTINY conceived to address this requirement by focusing on the
FOCUSED? availability of plant and equipment.
Availability Availability is a measure of the "ability of a piece of equipment or

plant to perform (when required) its intended functions satisfactorily
over a given period of time". In simple terms, it is the degree to which
a piece of equipment is operable when called for. It is usually
expressed as a percentage of time or as a probability (i.e., if a piece
of equipment has 80% availability it can perform its intended function
for eight hours out of every 10).
Availability is clearly a key aspect of the performance of a piece of

equipment or plant. When it is not available, it is unable to carry out
the functions for which it has been purchased (i.e., it is costing
money but not earning any!). Availability is determined by two
factors: reliability and downtime.
Reliability Reliability may be expressed as "the probability that a piece of

equipment will perform its intended functions for a given period of
time when used under specified operating conditions". In simple
terms, it is a measure of "how often something fails". As with
availability it is also expressed as a percentage, but that is where the
similarity ends: for example, a light bulb may have 98% reliability
over 1000 hours, meaning that if we started with 100 working light
bulbs, 98 would still be functioning at the end of 1000 hours.
Another common way of expressing reliability is the frequency at
which failures occur, or the time between each failure. This is
normally referred to as the mean time between failure (MTBF). The
MTBF is calculated by dividing the total operating time by the
number of failures experienced; the better the reliability, the greater
the MTBF.
The inherent level of reliability (i.e., the in-built level of reliability) of a
piece of equipment or plant, is established when the equipment is
designed and manufactured. In practice, no amount of maintenance
will improve reliability beyond this point, as it is the design limit. This
inherent level must be sufficiently high for the equipment to work
satisfactorily and go on working - it is essential, therefore, to get this
right at the design stage.
When equipment fails it will often (but not always) affect the overall
plant availability, having a direct adverse effect on operations.
Downtime
Downtime is the time during which a piece of equipment is

unavailable for use after failure or during regular preventive
maintenance. The length of downtime will depend upon several
factors; these may be categorised under two broad headings:
Maintainability and Supportability. Like reliability, both maintainability
and supportability are largely inherent in the design of a piece of
equipment.
Maintainability is the "ease" with which corrective, predictive and
preventive maintenance tasks may be carried out. The better the
level of maintainability, the easier it will be for maintenance and
operating teams to carry out their maintenance tasks and, as a
result, this will generally reduce downtime (i.e., increase availability)
and improve repair quality.
Supportability is the degree to which a piece of equipment may be
supported by the user organisation. In SDS, supportability relates
mainly to the supply of the parts and materials required to maintain
the piece of equipment; poor supportability can increase equipment
downtime and maintenance costs. A typical instance is a machine
being unavailable for use because it is awaiting the delivery of a
spare part that is difficult to obtain.

Mean downtime (MDT) is the total downtime divided by the number
of instances of downtime, e.g., if a machine has a total downtime of
10 hours from four instances, then the MDT is 2.5hrs.
Availability can therefore then be expressed as follows:
MTBF
Availability =
MTBF + MDT
Consequently, availability can be improved by increasing the MTBF
(i.e., improving reliability) and reducing MDT (i.e., improving
maintainability and supportability).
Other Reasons for a Design Whilst SDS was originally conceived to focus on asset availability,
Scrutiny the approach can also address other issues.
For example manufacturability of the design can make the difference
between a design that is a commercial success or otherwise.
Environmental considerations are also becoming important,
particularly with regard to the disposability of the asset at the end of
its useful life. SDS may be used to address both of these issues at
the design stage.
THE SDS APPROACH SDS involves assessing the design against a series of criteria. These
criteria may include (but are not limited to) reliability, maintainability
and supportability of the ultimate design. These criteria are
considered according to the operating context of the equipment
being scrutinised and the needs of the ultimate user.
Numerical versus a Non- The approach followed when assessing equipment availability and
numerical Approach reliability at the design stage may be either numerical or non-
numerical.
A numerical approach attempts to set numerical targets for an
asset’s availability and reliability at the outset and apportion
availability and reliability targets to the individual components that
make up the asset. The approach is very systematic and logical but
in practice it only works if the numerical data is available or can be
made available through testing. As a result, many industries have
found that the numerical approach either proves to be a massive
burden (in terms of cost, effort and time) during the design stage or
an academic exercise in manipulating numbers (that often have little
or no relevance to reality). Whilst the numerical approach is a sound
approach in theory it has limited practical application, unless it is
carried out correctly and is funded accordingly.
The non-numerical approach to considering availability and reliability
aims to share with the design team the knowledge and practical
experience of those who have worked with and maintained existing
(often similar) equipment. The non numerical approach can achieve
much for relatively little effort (compared with the numerical
approach).

The objective of the non-numerical approach is to ensure that (as far
as possible) the design is approached from a pragmatic engineering
point of view, by scrutinising the design for common weaknesses; for
example:
• Have steps been taken at the design stage to influence
equipment reliability by using components that have proved
themselves to be reliable in other situations?
• Has the design taken into account the practicalities of
changing a component (in terms of tools, equipment and skills
required)?
• Can a replacement component be sourced from more than
one supplier in the event of a breakdown, etc?.
The non-numerical approach draws on the knowledge of the design
team whilst incorporating the inherent practical experience of those
who know the equipment best (such as maintainers, commissioning
engineers and possibly users). It questions the design from an
“engineering common sense” point of view (a process which
designers sub-consciously follow to a limited degree) but in a
structured way. SDS is a non-numerical approach to conducting a
design scrutiny.
Overview SDS is a process which scrutinises the design of the equipment

against several decision criteria. The decision criteria are considered
according to the operating context of the equipment being scrutinised
and the needs of the ultimate user.
The approach entails asking the following questions about the
equipment in its operating context
• Against which factors will the design be assessed?
• What are the functions of the equipment?
• In what ways can it fail?
• What causes it to fail?
• What happens when it fails?
• Does it matter if it fails?
• How can we influence how likely it is to fail?
• How readily can we rectify the failure?
• Where should the design be improved?
Briefly, these questions entail:
• Prioritising the Decision Criteria against which the design will
be assessed: typically there are up to ten criteria each for
reliability, maintainability and supportability (and other criteria
such as manufacturability and disposability). If appropriate,
weights are assigned to each of these criteria according to
their relative importance to the ultimate users

• Defining the Functions and required performance standards of
the equipment in its operating context: SDS places an
emphasis on quantifying the performance standards that are
needed. This stage of the process assesses the margin
between what the equipment can do versus what the user
ultimately wants it to do i.e., the design margin.
• Establishing the Functional Failures which apply to each
Function: A Functional Failure is defined as the inability of an
item or component to meet its desired standards of
performance.
• Determining the Failure Modes which cause each Functional
Failure: Failure Modes are the engineering reason why a
component or item fails. SDS concentrates on identifying the
cause of failure.
• Recording the Failure Effects: i.e., documenting what would
happen if the Failure Mode occurs.
• Assessing the consequences of failure: Each failure mode is

categorised according to the consequences of failure.
• Identifying design weaknesses: Each Failure Mode is then
assessed against the prioritised and weighted decision criteria
for Reliability, Maintainability and Supportability (and other
categories if appropriate). The result is an individual and
overall score for each of these elements which affect
availability. The overall, weighted scores for each Failure
Mode highlight areas of design deficiency against which
corrective action may be evaluated.
A great strength of SDS is the way in which it provides simple and
easily-understood criteria for identifying design deficiencies (if any). It
also provides a means for prioritising the proposals for design
changes according to the criteria against which the design is being
assessed and the consequences of failure.

THE PEOPLE The suppliers of the new plant or equipment, on their own, cannot
answer all the questions posed by SDS - neither can the ultimate
INVOLVED users and maintainers. Consequently, "Review Groups" are
established to apply SDS and hence scrutinise the design before it is
manufactured.
These groups should ideally include at least one person from the
design team, one from the ultimate users of the equipment and one
from the maintenance function. The seniority of the review group
members (each of whom will require training) is less important than
their desire to learn about the equipment under review and their
respective knowledge and experience.
Each review group works under the guidance of a highly-trained

specialist in SDS, known as a "facilitator". Their role is to ensure that
the approach is applied correctly, that reasonable consensus is
achieved by the group and that no significant equipment or
component is overlooked. Immediately after each review has been
completed, the senior managers with overall responsibility for the
design (from both the supplier and ultimate user) should satisfy
themselves that the SDS analysis has been carried out correctly and
that the requisite action is taken.
WHAT SDS The objective of SDS is to assist users and designers to create the
most cost-effective design which meets the user's requirements for
ACHIEVES function, reliability, maintainability and supportability (and other
categories if appropriate). Its strength over traditional methods of
design scrutiny lies in its systematic approach which provides easily-
understood criteria for identifying deficiencies (without having to
resort to exhaustive and often meaningless numerical analyses).
The applied discipline in using SDS will ensure that users accurately
determine their needs and wants before the supplier sets about the
manufacturing process. It will also force them to review the way in
which they intend to operate and support an asset over its life-cycle.

In particular, SDS yields the following benefits:
Safety Greater safety and environmental protection due to:

• consideration of the application of and need for protective
devices
• the systematic review of safety implications of every critical
failure
• the identification of failure modes whose prediction,
prevention or correction creates safety or environmental
hazards
Performance Improved operating performance due to:

• improved availability by considering the criteria that influence
how often an item fails and the time taken to correct any
failures
• an emphasis on the design of crucial equipment elements
• the elimination of design weaknesses which would otherwise
be undetected until the equipment is in use
Quality Improved quality due to:

• a better understanding of equipment capacity and capability
• the clarification of equipment set-up specification and
requirements
• the confirmation or redefinition of equipment-operating
procedures
Cost Effectiveness Greater cost effectiveness due to:

• the prevention or elimination of initial design weaknesses.
Where the desired levels of reliability and availability cannot
be attained at an acceptable cost, SDS will identify the areas
where there has been a cost/performance trade-off
• clearer operating policies
• a better understanding of the equipment from day one
• reduced life-cycle costs by optimising the design on the
drawing board
• the documentation of the knowledge held by suppliers, users
and maintainers on each piece of equipment

Teamwork Better teamwork brought about by a co-makership approach
to the design.
Other benefits to be gained from applying SDS include the
identification of requirements for:
• predictive, preventive and corrective maintenance routines
• user drawings and manuals
• maintenance facilities, test equipment and tooling
• maintenance personnel skill and training
• consumable spare parts and storage
• systems support
The detailed analysis used by SDS will also give the user an intimate
knowledge of the asset which would normally only come after
extended periods of use - the advantage of SDS is that this
knowledge is available from day one.
Motivation Greater motivation of individuals, particularly those involved in the

review process. This gives improved understanding of the equipment
in its operating context and wider “ownership” of the eventual design.

MUTUAL Our role is to impart an understanding of SDS to clients and provide
support and guidance in its application; our goal is for clients to
CONSULTANTS’ become competent to apply SDS themselves.
ROLE This is achieved via a combination of highly-developed training
courses, on-site technical support, contract facilitation (if required)
and the supply of purpose-written software.
The services we offer include:
• Highly developed RCM2 training courses
• Contract facilitation
• Supply of SDS software*
*The SDS software records the information collected and the
decisions made during the SDS process. For further information
about the software and its availability please click here.
If you would like further information please click here.
SDS pays for itself very quickly. When applied correctly, it helps to
CONCLUSION overcome the traditional problems which result from design
weaknesses. It also transforms the relationship between supplier and
user into one of co-makership rather than an adversarial one.

Please Contact:
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000

Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010


Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Mutual Consultants Ltd SDS0902
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
United Kingdom
RCS0903
“An approach
for determining
the level of spare
part inventories based
on through-life costing and
requirements of the equipment
and the maintenance operation
that the equipment supports”
Overview of Reliability-centred Spares (RCS)
Definition
Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) is an approach for determining the level of spare part
inventories based on through-life costing and the requirements of the equipment and
maintenance operation that the inventory supports.
Through-life Costing
RCS uses through-life costing to ensure that every pound invested in spare parts is spent where
it will do the most good. RCS answers the question of whether money should be invested in
spares in order to reduce downtime costs in the future. All parties (including accountants!) relate
to RCS as it determines spare part levels without relying on gut feel or subjective judgment.
Insurance Spares
Substantial savings can be made by applying RCS to expensive, slow-moving critical spares.
Vendor stockholding schemes may also be evaluated against the alternative of holding stock
locally.
The History
Traditionally, stock levels were determined by a mixture of gut feel, manufacturer's
recommendations and subjective judgments of service level. None of these addresses the
fundamental question - "is it worth buying a spare part, and if so, how many?"
Application
RCS can be applied at any time in an asset's life-cycle (ie before buying any spare parts or when
an asset has been in service for some time). It can be applied selectively to the spares inventory
by using the pareto principle since a small number of items are usually responsible for a large
proportion of inventory value and/or could incur large production losses in the event of a stockout.
The Financial Case

Organisations often experience stockouts that have a profound effect on output or customer
service. The justification for holding stock is usually financial since stockouts rarely affect
safety/environmental integrity.
Benefits
Applied correctly, RCS yields the following benefits:
• Unnecessary capital and insurance spares are avoided, freeing up funds and storage
space
• The avoidance of "slash and burn" inventory reductions and the corresponding risks to
production downtime in the future
• Reductions in the cost of unscheduled downtime due to the non-availability of critical
spares
• A means to evaluate vendor stocking costs versus holding stock locally.

Intentionally Blank
Contents
IS IT WORTH BUYING A SPARE PART? ............................... 1

WHAT IS RCS? ........................................................................ 1
IS RCS APPLICABLE TO ME?................................................ 1
WHY RCS WORKS................................................................... 2
WHY ORGANISATIONS USE RCS.......................................... 3
IMPLEMENTING RCS .............................................................. 3
WHAT RCS ACHIEVES............................................................ 4
MUTUAL CONSULTANTS’ ROLE ........................................... 4
For More Information Please Contact.................................... 5
To open a printable version of this RCS brochure, please click

Deciding which spare parts to hold in stock is often a very emotive
IS IT WORTH BUYING subject - the engineer wants to know that a part is available when
A SPARE PART? required, whereas the accountant wants to avoid either spending
money in the first place or continuing to tie money up in stock.
These spares may vary from cheap consumables to very high value
insurance spares that may never be used during the lifetime of the
plant. It is not uncommon to find that 50% or more of inventory value
is tied up in slow-moving parts (usage less than one per year) and
that up to 30% of the inventory (in terms of value) is never used
before the plant is decommissioned or scrapped.
Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) is an approach for determining
spares levels based on the requirements of the equipment, the
maintenance operation and the production/process.
Traditionally, stock levels have been determined by a mixture of gut
feel, manufacturer's recommendations and subjective judgements of
service level. None of these approaches address the fundamental
question - "is it worth buying a spare part, and if so, how many
should be purchased?"
Many organisations are susceptible to stockouts which can have a
profound effect on output or customer service. The justification for
holding stock is usually financial since stockouts rarely affect safety
or environmental integrity. Substantial savings can be achieved by
applying RCS to expensive, slow-moving critical spares.
RCS determines the spares levels using through-life costing - it
answers the question of whether money should be invested in stock
in order to secure lower downtime costs in the future.
RCS is "an approach for determining the level of spare part

WHAT IS RCS? inventories based on through-life costing and the requirements of the
equipment and maintenance operation that the inventory supports".
It uses a structured framework to consider the context in which the
equipment is operating, what the consequences are if a spare part is
not available when required and then uses through-life costing to
determine what level of stockholding is required.
The key questions are:
• What are the maintenance requirements of the equipment?
• What happens if a stockout occurs?
• Can the spares requirement be anticipated?
• What stockholding of the spare is needed?
Clients apply RCS for many reasons and we should be pleased to

IS RCS APPLICABLE discuss your specific requirements with you. RCS may well be worth
TO ME? considering if one or more of the following applies to you:
• Pressure to reduce existing capital tied up in spares
RCS0903 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 Page RCS/1
• Where vendor stockholding is being considered
• The plant has a defined life span (for example, oil extraction
where the field is finite or where a product is being withdrawn
or new capital investment is planned).
WHY RCS WORKS The real strength of RCS over traditional approaches to establishing
spare levels is that it looks at the context in which the plant operates.
It considers the spares buying decision on a through-life cost basis
and in so doing it answers the question: "is it worth buying a spare
part, and if so, how many should be purchased?"
By using through-life costing, RCS ensures that every pound spent
on spare parts inventory is spent where it will do the most good.
Other methods for determining spare part stockholding levels have
disadvantages when compared with RCS:
• Supplier Recommendation - the supplier has a vested
interest in selling spares rather than reducing your through-life
costs!
• Service Level - (ie the percentage of demands for a spare
part that are met successfully from stock) - this can work well
for fast-moving stock but does not work well for slow-moving
stock. The relationship between the service level required and
the number of spares needed is not intuitive and can lead to
under-stocking or overstocking of parts and widely variable
inventory cost-levels
• Rationalising Stock-turn - (ie basing stock levels according
to the ratio of the stock used per year to the value of the stock
held) - this fails to take into account the consequences of a
stockout and is useless for determining the levels of
"insurance" spares
• Criticality Banding - (ie banding parts according to the
criticality of the spare in the event of a stockout) - this can be a
useful technique for deciding where to start on a stock
analysis but it does not provide any rationale as to how many
items should be stocked within a criticality band.
One of the advantages of RCS is that the through-life cost
parameters used can either be straightforward or complex depending
on the information available and the degree of precision required. For
example, it is possible to determine the spare part stockholding level
with a minimum of information and include a sensitivity analysis in
order to determine whether greater precision is required (to ensure
more confidence in the resulting stockholding level).
Page RCS/2 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 RCS0903

WHY Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) is a very powerful approach for
determining optimum spare part stockholding based on through-life
ORGANISATIONS costing. It helps you to determine the stock levels based directly on
USE RCS the requirements of the equipment, the maintenance operation and
the production process.
It overcomes the problems inherent in the traditional methods for
determining stock levels (typically a mixture of gut feel,
manufacturer's recommendations and subjective judgements of
service level). RCS answers the fundamental question that all the
traditional methods fail to answer "is it worth buying a spare part,
and if so, how many should be purchased?"
By using through-life costing, RCS ensures that every pound
invested on spare parts inventory is spent where it will do the most
good. Substantial savings can be made by applying RCS to
expensive, slow-moving critical spares.
RCS can be applied at any time in an asset's life-cycle (ie before
buying any spare parts or when an asset has been in service for
some time and existing spares levels are being reviewed).
It can also be applied selectively to the spares inventory by using the
pareto principle whereby a small number of items are responsible for
a large proportion of inventory value and/or could incur large
production losses in the event of a stockout.
Vendor stockholding schemes may also be evaluated against the
alternative of holding stock locally.
In summary:
• Unnecessary capital and insurance spares are avoided,
freeing up funds and storage space
• The avoidance of "slash and burn" inventory reductions and
the corresponding risks to production downtime in the future
• Reductions in the cost of unscheduled downtime due to the
non-availability of critical spares
• A means to evaluate vendor stocking costs versus holding
stock locally.
IMPLEMENTING RCS RCS can be applied at any time in an asset's life-cycle (ie before
buying any spare parts or when an asset has been in service for
some time and existing spares levels are being reviewed). In either
case RCS determines stockholding levels based directly upon the
requirements of the equipment, maintenance operation and
production process - input will, therefore, be required from both
maintenance and operations when applying RCS.
One of the "human" benefits of RCS is improved communication
between engineering, production and inventory personnel. RCS is an
approach that all parties can relate to as it provides an auditable

justification for spare part stockholding that does not rely on "gut feel"
or subjective judgment.
A review of a complete engineering inventory (which might
involve thousands of items) is rarely justified - many clients only
apply RCS to 'insurance'/slow moving spares.
For many items, consumption may be predicted and hence
stockholding levels determined conventionally (although RCS could
be used).
One of the advantages of RCS is that the through-life cost
parameters used can either be straightforward or complex depending
on the information available and the degree of precision required. It is
possible to determine the spare part stockholding level with a
minimum of information and include a sensitivity analysis in order to
determine whether greater precision is required (to provide greater
confidence in the results).
Not all items have equal value or impact (in the event of a
stockout) and so we should be pleased to discuss with you
"where to start".
WHAT RCS Applied correctly, RCS will yield the following benefits:
ACHIEVES • Unnecessary capital and insurance spares are avoided,
freeing up funds and storage space
• The avoidance of "slash and burn" inventory reductions and
the corresponding risks to production downtime in the future
• Reductions in the cost of unscheduled downtime due to the
non-availability of critical spares
• A means to evaluate vendor stocking costs versus holding
stock locally.
MUTUAL Our role is to work closely with clients during the application of RCS
to ensure that their spare parts inventory fully supports the
CONSULTANTS’ associated equipment’s operational and maintenance needs.
ROLE This is achieved via a combination of the following services:
• Contract facilitation (where appropriate)
• Calculating spare part stock levels using the RCS approach
If you would like further information or then please click here.
Page RCS/4 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 RCS0903

Please Contact
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000

Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010


Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Mutual Consultants Ltd RCS0903
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
United Kingdom
RaB0904
“Packaging a list of
maintenance tasks into a
maintenance schedule which
is optimised for work content and
which contains a minimum of peaks
and troughs over time”
Overview of Rationalisation and Balancing of Maintenance Schedules (RaB)
Definition
Rationalisation and Balancing involves packaging a list of maintenance tasks for an asset into a
maintenance schedule which is optimised for work content and which contains a minimum of
peaks and troughs over time.
The Problem
The maintenance requirements of any sizeable physical asset are likely to include a large number
of maintenance tasks with a wide range of "natural" intervals. Determining how best to package
these tasks into a sensible maintenance schedule can be a considerable challenge.
Rationalisation
In practice the task intervals for a list of maintenance tasks for an asset have to be modified to
suit local conditions; this is called 'Rationalisation'. The number of possibilities for rationalising the
task intervals can be significant and so this stage of maintenance task development is usually
sub-optimal. If it is performed correctly, the life-cycle costs will be optimised; if it is not, the life-
cycle costs can easily be higher by 10% or more.
Balancing
After rationalisation, it is often necessary to 'smooth' the workload in order to avoid excessive
peaks and troughs. This process is called 'Balancing' and the nature of the industry and the
operating context will dictate the extent to which balancing is necessary. Using our unique
software, we can quickly balance the workload by "offsetting" the point at which tasks are first
performed (but leaving the task intervals unaltered).
Our Approach
We have developed unique software which enables us to optimise maintenance tasks quickly by
automatically "rationalising" the task intervals to produce the minimum number of man-hours over
the asset life-cycle. The software includes tools to simplify workload "balancing" (smoothing).

We work with you to package your maintenance schedule and smooth the workload in order to
minimise life cycle costs. The result is a more manageable, maintenance schedule that tells you
both what must be done and when.
Benefits
Your list of maintenance tasks is converted into a maintenance schedule which is:
• Rationalised to minimise the total man-hours over the life cycle
• Balanced to provide the smoothest possible workload over time
• Comprehensibly packaged and presented (you are told what is due and when it is due, not
simply how often it should be done).

Intentionally Blank
Contents
WHAT IS RATIONALISATION AND BALANCING?................ 1

RATIONALISATION ................................................................. 1
The “Rationalisation” Problem ............................. 1
The “Rationalisation” Solution ............................. 2
BALANCING............................................................................. 3
The “Balancing” Problem ...................................... 3
The “Balancing” Solution ...................................... 5
PACKAGING TASKS ............................................................... 6
BENEFITS ................................................................................ 7
To open a printable version of this RaB brochure, please click

Rationalisation and Balancing involves packaging a list of maintenance
WHAT IS tasks for an asset (ie scheduled jobs that have to be carried out at a
RATIONALISATION specified interval) into a maintenance schedule which is optimised for
AND BALANCING? work content and which contains a minimum of peaks and troughs
over time.
RATIONALISATION The principles of Rationalisation are illustrated best by the use of some
simple examples. Let’s assume that, after a maintenance review, the
following tasks have been identified for a particular machine:
Maintenance Task Details

ID Time Interval Hrs/Yr
A 1 hr 1 wk 52
B 2 hr 4 wk 26
C 8 hr 5 wk 83.2
D 20 hr 8 wk 130
E 50 hr 10 wk 260
F 100 hr 25 wk 208
Total 759.2
If each task can be done at the interval specified above (known as the
“natural” interval) then the machine will undergo maintenance for 759.2
hours each year.
Historically, however, most organisations like their maintenance task
intervals to be neat integer multiples of each other because this makes
packaging and scheduling the resulting exams/inspections much
simpler.
This means that the above tasks are unlikely to be performed at their
natural intervals; for example, will the Production Manager tolerate the
machine being down for 2 hours in week 4, followed by another 8
hours downtime a week later?
The “Rationalisation” When packaging these tasks into a maintenance schedule, task
Problem intervals are often forced to be multiples of the interval of the most
frequent task or forced to fit into a sequence dictated by the least
frequent task, or a combination of both.
Looking at the task intervals in the above example, it might be
tempting, therefore, to combine them into “exams” that are performed
at 1 week, 5 weeks and 25 weeks. These are known as the “rational”
intervals.
The problem, however, is that some of the tasks can no longer be
done at their natural interval; they are “slotted in” to one of the rational
intervals.
RaB0904 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 Page RaB/1
If the consequences of failure are severe so that it is not possible to
extend natural intervals then the above tasks would be “rationalised”
into a 25 week cycle as follows:
Rationalised to 25
week cycle
ID Time Interval Hrs/Yr Interval Hrs/Yr
A 1 hr 1 wk 52 1 wk 156
B 2 hr 4 wk 26
C 8 hr 5 wk 83.2 5 wk 811.2
D 20 hr 8 wk 130
E 50 hr 10 wk 260
F 100 hr 25 wk 208 25 wk 455
Total 759.2 Total 1175.2
Some tasks are now being performed far too frequently, forcing the
annual maintenance hours up to 1175.2, dramatically increasing life-
cycle costs.
Just because our lives are regulated by a weekly cycle does not mean
that a machine's maintenance should be. Manually driven
maintenance management systems tended to work on daily, weekly
and monthly cycles but with a computerised Maintenance
Management System this need not be the case.
For example, the ideal task interval to, say, change a particular filter
may be 10 days - as our lives are regulated around days of the week it
is not uncommon to find that the task is done "every Monday morning"
(ie every 7 days). With a computerised Maintenance Management
System, however, it is possible to schedule this task to be performed
every 10 days (ie not necessarily weekly or monthly etc). If this
seemingly simple change is made, the effort and materials
consumption for this particular task will be reduced by more than 40%.
These examples are trivial but for a sizeable installation it is difficult to
optimise and minimise the life cycle costs if you are to achieve a
balanced workload (because the number of possible task intervals can
be very high). As a result, this stage of maintenance schedule
development is rarely performed well (if at all).
The “Rationalisation” There are significant savings to be made to the maintenance cost of
Solution an asset over its life-cycle if the maintenance task intervals are
"rationalised" to their (near) optimal interval (particularly in a large
plant with many tasks).
This is difficult to do for a sizeable installation because the number of
possible task interval combinations to consider can be very high. As a
result, this stage of maintenance schedule development is rarely
performed well (if at all).
Page RaB/2 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 RaB0904
To illustrate the potential benefits, the above 25-week rationalisation is
repeated, but this time with a maximum task interval of 24 weeks.
This provides many more “slots” into which the natural intervals can be
placed.
Rationalised to 24
week cycle
ID Time Interval Hrs/Yr Interval Hrs/Yr
A 1 hr 1 wk 52 1 wk 52
B 2 hr 4 wk 26 2 wk -
C 8 hr 5 wk 83.2 3 wk -
D 20 hr 8 wk 130 4 wk 130
E 50 hr 10 wk 260 6 wk -
F 100 hr 25 wk 208 8 wk 455
12 wk -
24 wk 216.7
Total 759.2 Total 853.7
There has now been a massive drop in the total annual maintenance
hours and, hence, a corresponding drop in life-cycle costs.
With a trivial example, the problem is easily solved. However, with
hundreds, or even thousands, of natural task intervals it becomes
impossible to solve it manually.
To address this problem, we have developed a unique software
package which enables us to optimise your maintenance schedule
quickly by automatically "rationalising" the task intervals to produce the
minimum number of man-hours per complete exam cycle.
Rationalisation entails adjusting the natural task intervals so that they
all become integer multiples of the minimum interval (in order to
facilitate subsequent balancing and scheduling) whilst still remaining
optimised for life cycle costs.
BALANCING After maintenance task intervals have been rationalised, it is then

necessary to smooth out peaks and troughs in the workload over time
and to package the tasks into exams.
A side effect of rationalising task intervals for optimum life cycle cost is
The “Balancing” Problem
that it causes peaks and troughs in the maintenance workload. This is
illustrated in the simple example below, which has 4 tasks arranged to
repeat over an eight-week maintenance cycle:
• Task T1 has an interval of 1 week so it is performed eight times
in the cycle
• Task T2 has an interval of 2 weeks so it is performed four
times in the cycle
• Task T3 has an interval of 4 weeks so it is performed twice in
the cycle
• Task T4 has an interval of 8 weeks so it performed only once in
the cycle.
Eight Week Maintenance Cycle T4
T3 T3
T2 T2 T2 T2
T1 T1 T1 T1 T1 T1 T1 T1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Week
Clearly, there are weeks in this cycle (notably week 8) when the
maintenance workload is greater than it is in other weeks. This
unbalanced workload can make staff utilisation inefficient.
The following diagram is a more realistic illustration of this problem
with a large number of maintenance tasks - the ratio of highest/lowest
bar (representing peaks and troughs in workload) is about 24 to 1.
In practice, most maintenance departments balance their workload by

working routine maintenance around breakdown maintenance. This
only works, however, if the routine workload does not have excessive
peaks and if the breakdown/corrective maintenance workload is not
too excessive.
If there are excessive peaks in routine workloads or if the
breakdown/corrective workload is very high, it is not uncommon for a
backlog to develop of routine maintenance tasks. Running a backlog of
routine maintenance tasks can have serious repercussions depending
on the nature of the industry.
In the worst case, failure to carry out routine maintenance tasks that
are important for safety or environmental integrity can expose the
workforce and/or public to unacceptable at risks. If the backlog of tasks
relates to plant output or availability there is likely to be a reduction in
reliability which in turn will increase the breakdown/corrective
workload.
The situation can be helped if steps are taken to “balance” the routine
maintenance workload so that the workload is smoothed to avoid
excessive peaks and troughs. This process is called “Balancing” and
the nature of the industry and the operating context will dictate the
extent to which balancing is necessary.
The “Balancing” Solution There are significant benefits to be gained by avoiding excessive
peaks and troughs in routine maintenance workload. In particular, staff
utilisation will be more efficient and one of the most common causes of
a maintenance backlog will be removed.
The simple example illustrates what needs to be done:
Balanced Eight Week Maintenance Cycle
T2 T3 T2 T4 T2 T3 T2
T1 T1 T1 T1 T1 T1 T1 T1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Week
Task T3 retains its 4 week interval, but it has been brought forward by
one week so that it is never done at the same time as task T2.
Task T4 retains its 8 week interval, but has been brought forward by 3
weeks. The result is a much smoother, more predictable workload.
Workload balancing is difficult to do for a sizeable installation and so
this stage of maintenance schedule development is rarely performed.
To address this problem, we have developed a unique software
package which enables us to "offset" the point at which tasks are first
performed (but leaving the task intervals unaltered).
The following diagram illustrates the result of balancing the more
realistic tasks shown in the previous section. The ratio of
highest/lowest bar (representing peaks and troughs in workload) has
dropped to around 2 to 1 from 24 to 1.
Without the assistance of the Balancing module of the software, it

would be impossible to complete this part of the Rationalisation and
Balancing process.

PACKAGING TASKS Once the tasks have been balanced, there will be a number of
unique combinations of tasks which need to be performed one or
more times throughout the whole exam cycle. Our Rationalisation and
Balancing software identifies these unique combinations of tasks (or
“task packages”) so that they can be named for future reference.
For the purposes of the discussion below:
• "one period" is defined to be the interval of the most frequently
performed task within a maintenance schedule (perhaps 14
days, 4 weeks or whatever). No task is done more often than
once per period, and all other tasks are done at intervals which
are integer multiples of one period
• the "maintenance cycle" is the interval of the least frequently
performed task in the maintenance schedule (often a multiple
of years).
Once the maintenance schedule has been balanced it is necessary to
identify the combinations of tasks which are required to be done at
the end of each period in the whole maintenance cycle. In doing this,
it will almost certainly be observed that some combinations of tasks
occur more than once. Each unique combination of tasks can be
defined as a “package”. Some packages may occur just once in the
entire maintenance cycle and others may occurs several times.
It is important to stress that packages which are performed several
times in the maintenance cycle may not necessarily be performed at
regular intervals. However, every individual task will always be
performed at a regular interval (i.e. its rationalised interval) because it
is likely to appear in more than one package. This is an inevitable
complexity that is a consequence of a balanced maintenance
schedule.
Traditionally it has been common practice to give names to packages
of tasks for ease of identification, “10,000 mile service” on a car for
example (implying it should be done every 10,000 miles). This way of
naming can lead to confusion in a balanced schedule, because there
may be a service carried out every 10,000 miles but it is not always
comprised of the same tasks; a different service may be performed at
say 20,000 and 40,000 miles.
The question of what each package of work is comprised and when it
should be carried out is answered quickly by the software. In this way
the complexity of a balanced schedule is simplified and a spare parts
analysis can be readily carried out for each package of tasks (if
required).

BENEFITS Rationalisation and Balancing is a time-consuming piece of work if it
is performed manually (ie without software tools) and, as a result, is
rarely performed well (if at all).
Our unique software (the "RaB Toolkit") readily enables us to assist
you to convert your list of maintenance tasks into a maintenance
schedule which is:
• Rationalised to minimise the total man-hours over the life cycle
• Balanced to provide the smoothest possible workload over
time
• Comprehensibly packaged and presented (you are told what is
due and when it is due, not simply how often it should be
done).
Our role is to work closely with the client during the application of the
MUTUAL Rationalisation and Balancing software (the “RaB Toolkit”) to ensure
CONSULTANTS’ that the resulting maintenance schedule meets both the maintainer’s
ROLE and user’s requirements.

Please Contact
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000

Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010


Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Mutual Consultants Ltd RaB0904
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
United Kingdom
BSD0905
“Development of
organisation- or function-
specific software solutions to
address particular non-standard
business needs which are designed
to improve effectiveness and efficiency
of the business”
Overview of Bespoke Software Development (BSD)
The Need
Most organisations use 'standard' off-the-shelf packages for day-to-day needs. However,
organisations increasingly require specific software to address a particular “non-standard”
business need. In many instances, satisfying these particular needs can have a profound overall
effect on the effectiveness and efficiency of the business.
Bespoke v Packaged Software

Originally most software applications were bespoke simply because packaged software did not
exist. The arrival of the PC and Windows™ resulted in a sharp decline in bespoke software and a
rapid rise in 'standard' or off-the-shelf applications. However, bespoke software is increasing in
popularity for two main reasons:
• Organisations are increasingly finding that “standard” off-the-shelf packages do not provide
a good “fit” or are simply not available
• Bespoke packages are now affordable because software development is often “modular”
(ie applications are assembled from pre-written and fully tested modules).
Modular Software Development

Modern software development is much less costly than it used to be because there are high
quality software tools available in “modular” format that can be assembled to create a full working
application. Creating a bespoke application by interlinking a series of modules gives better initial
functionality and very cost effective upgrades in the future.
Our Approach
No two bespoke software projects are the same (although most projects have similar
development patterns). We follow a structured series of steps to ensure that the bespoke
application meets your specific requirements. This is achieved by preparing and following a
tailored Programme of Work for your application.

Our role is to work closely with the client both during software development and downstream to
ensure that the resulting application does exactly what is required and continues to evolve in line
with both the business needs and the software module capabilities.
Benefits
Bespoke software applications yield the following benefits:
• Tailored “Fit” - the application will be tailored to fit the business need exactly (ie no need to
change the way you work to suit the software)
• Upgrade Path - the application can evolve in line with both the business needs and the
software module capabilities
• Flexibility - Data migration from an existing system to the new application or the ability to
attach a new application to an existing database (either replacing the existing front-end
application or complementing what is already there).
Intentionally Blank
Contents
BESPOKE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ............................... 1

BESPOKE v PACKAGED SOFTWARE................................... 1
WHY PACKAGED SOFTWARE MAY NOT BE THE
CHEAPEST SOLUTION ........................................................... 2
MODERN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT................................. 3
OUR APPROACH..................................................................... 4
SOME EXAMPLES OF BESPOKE SOFTWARE
APPLICATIONS ....................................................................... 5
Maintenance Effectiveness Monitoring System .. 5
A Product Design Management Application ........ 6
A Technical Document Management System ...... 6
Rationalising and Balancing Software ................. 6
A Secure Application ............................................. 6
Extension to Existing System ............................... 7
A Fault Reporting System...................................... 7
Existing Package Enhancements ......................... 7
A Web Server System ............................................ 7
Educational Software............................................. 7
Simulation Software Package ............................... 7
Existing Application Interface ............................... 7
Training ................................................................... 8
Development........................................................... 8
Support.................................................................... 8
CONCLUSION .......................................................................... 8
To open a printable version of this BSD brochure, please click

Bespoke software is increasing in popularity for two main reasons:
BESPOKE
• Organisations are increasingly finding that “standard” off-the-
SOFTWARE shelf packages are not a good enough “fit”, or are simply not
DEVELOPMENT available
• Bespoke applications are now affordable because software
development is often “modular” (i.e. applications are
assembled from pre-written and fully tested modules or
components).
We work closely with the client both during software development
and downstream to ensure that the resulting application does exactly
what is required and continues to evolve in line with both the
business needs and the software module capabilities.
BESPOKE v In the early days of computers most applications were bespoke

simply because 'standard' software did not exist; these bespoke
PACKAGED applications were often over-budget, inflexible and late. The arrival of
SOFTWARE the PC and Windows™ resulted in a sharp decline in bespoke
software and a rapid rise in 'standard' or off-the-shelf application
packages.
Another clear trend during the advent of the PC was for companies to
develop their own in-house applications using spreadsheets or basic
databases. Some of these were good solutions to specific problems
(it also has to be said that some were not!). Over a period of time,
however these applications tend to fall into disrepair, become dated
or (very often) the in-house 'developer' moves on. In-house software
development can work well but only if there is sufficient work to justify
keeping the expertise within the organisation - outsourcing software
development is more popular. Cost remains the main driver which
determines whether to opt for bespoke or packaged software.
Today, organisations are increasingly finding that “standard” software
packages do not always offer the best solution (they complain that
the “standard” software package is “not exactly what we want” or
“we only use a fraction of what the software is capable of
doing”). Furthermore, bespoke software is still perceived as an
expensive solution.
In summary, therefore, bespoke software used to be the norm but
'standard' off-the-shelf applications resulted in the decline of either
the external or internal software developers. For specific or specialist
applications organisations either write an application in-house (using
a spreadsheet or a database) or manage without any software tools.
Bespoke applications are now very affordable - they can be
created by assembling pre-written, fully tested modules. This
means that organisations have an opportunity to improve their
cost effectiveness and efficiency by having a bespoke
application written to address a particular need.
BSD0905 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 Page BSD/1

Cost remains the main driver which determines whether to opt for
WHY PACKAGED bespoke or packaged software. However, organisations often believe
SOFTWARE MAY NOT that packaged software is always the cheaper than bespoke
BE THE CHEAPEST software. This may have been the case in the past but is not
necessarily so today.
SOLUTION
By clinging to the "packaged software is cheaper" mantra,
organisations often cause themselves problems in the long term. For
example:
• Working practices may have to change (often making them
less efficient) to accommodate the 'standard' software. The
cost of these changes and resulting inefficiencies (over
the whole organisation, for the useful life of the software)
are often far greater than paying for bespoke software
initially
• Where software is used to store information or data, users
frequently complain that "the information is there but I cannot
get it out in the format that I need". In many cases data is re-
entered manually into a word processing or spreadsheet
package so that the data can be printed in the required format.
In bespoke applications, the output is either in the format
that the user requires or facilities are provided so that the
user can customise reports to suit their individual needs
• Many software packages come with built-in features that are
not required (they were probably included to make the
software appeal to a larger market). This often overwhelms
users with features they will never use (or understand) and
comes with an initial cost, an on-going support cost and an up-
front training cost. This can be avoided in bespoke
applications.
Other solutions that companies adopt is to develop their own in-
house applications using standard software in the form of
spreadsheets or databases. Some of these are good solutions to
specific problems - it also has to be said that some are not! Over a
period of time, however, these in-house solutions often to fall into
disrepair, become dated or (very often) the in-house "developer"
moves on. These home-grown solutions (particularly spreadsheets)
are also prone to tinkering by the (over-) enthusiastic amateur
programmer which in turn can result in errors creeping into the
calculations!
In summary, packaged software is not always the cheapest
solution - modern software development tools mean that bespoke
software is often a considerably cheaper solution, especially if the
true cost over the life-cycle of the software is taken into account.
Page BSD/2 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 BSD0905

Modern software development is much less costly than it used to be
MODERN SOFTWARE because software tools are available in "modular" format that can be
DEVELOPMENT assembled to create a full, working application.
Creating a bespoke application by interlinking a series of modules
has a number of advantages:
• In "assembling" a bespoke application, the amount of code
that has to be written from scratch is small – this saves
programming time and simplifies testing and debugging
• The modules that we use are written by specialist
programmers, are often extremely sophisticated and are
constantly evolving. This means that it is possible to develop
cutting-edge applications today that can be readily upgraded
in the future - at a fraction of the cost of developing the
same functionality from scratch
• The focus of the software development is no longer on "getting
the code to work" but on addressing the particular
functionality that the client requires.
In summary, it is now feasible to have bespoke software written to
address a particular need. This, in turn, gives organisations the
opportunity to improve cost effectiveness and efficiency (where it
would not have been viable in the past).
The functionality of the modular software tools is very sophisticated
which means that it is possible to develop cutting-edge applications
that are also extremely flexible.
In practice, this means that we are often able to attach a new
application to an existing database; the new application may either
replace the existing front-end application or complement what is
already there.
• For example, you may already have a basic database and you
wish to add more complex functionality (such as improved
analysis, reporting and charting) or provide electronic links
from an existing application to another application
• Alternatively, you may already have a sophisticated database
with a front-end application that includes a large amount of
complex functionality (which in turn requires extensive training
in order to use). In practice, however, most users only require
basic functionality in which case a bespoke application could
be written for, say, data input or data reading that is
specifically tailored to suit the user.
The flexibility afforded by the modular software tools means that
existing applications can be enhanced without having to start
again from scratch.

OUR APPROACH No two bespoke software projects are the same although most
projects follow similar development patterns. In any event, we
maintain regular contact and seek end-user feedback throughout the
development of the application.
The following are the typical steps we follow for a bespoke database
application:
• Define the application purpose and goals - extensive dialog
with the end users is essential (this continues through the
project). This step is essential if the bespoke software is going
to meet the client needs
• Determine the data structure required to meet the goals
and decide on the best user interface - design the look, feel
and how data is to be put in and retrieved from the application.
This ensures that the application is flexible, can evolve over
time and is easy to use
• Identify the software modules to be used - eg treeviews,
grids, report generators, charting objects, printing facilities etc.
This maximises the ease of use for the end-users and
minimises the application development time
• Create the physical data files and insert the software
modules - to match the data structure and to create a
"skeleton" application for user review and comment. This
allows end-users to have their say before it is too late
• Write the application program code to attach the software
modules to the data files - ie creating the "full" application
• Fully test each code module as it is written and test the
application as a whole - Involving the end users to provide
feedback. This provides a further opportunity to receive end-
user feedback
• Fully document the application - context-sensitive on-
screen help and Acrobat PDF documents
• Create a full installation and setup system on CD-ROM - to
enable users to install software unaided (and migrate existing
data if required)
• Provide user training downstream support - as required.
In this way each bespoke software development project has a
tailored Programme of Work.

SOME EXAMPLES Each bespoke application is written to provide a solution to a particular
client's requirements. It is unlikely, therefore, that two clients would
OF BESPOKE have exactly the same requirements needing exactly the same
SOFTWARE solutions.
APPLICATIONS The following list illustrates the range of software that we have written
for clients in recent years:
Maintenance Effectiveness This system allowed field engineers who were reporting corrective
Monitoring System actions in their CMMS to:
• Quickly choose the relevant failure mode from their RCM
database
• Easily answer 1 or 2 multiple-choice questions about the failure.
The system then assigns codes which indicate the effectiveness of the
RCM decision that was made for that failure mode.
The codes can be analysed to give an accurate indication of the
effectiveness of the overall RCM maintenance strategy.

A Product Design To ensure that the client’s large volume of design issues are readily
Management Application tracked and that design errors not repeated on future projects.
A Technical Document To manage all aspects of the production of a client’s technical

Management System documentation.
Rationalising and For optimising large numbers of plant and equipment maintenance
Balancing Software tasks
A Secure Application To enable the client's suppliers to provide Life Cycle Costing data in a
format for importing into the client's main LCC database

Extension to Existing Extension to an existing off-the-shelf application which significantly
System improved the end-user data entry, productivity and accuracy. Included
a "wizard" application to enable end-users to look up information in a
different database and automatically generate the codes required
when inputting this data into a third application.
A Fault Reporting System For collecting, structuring, analysing and reporting equipment failures
Existing Package To better suit the client’s specific industry and provide a multi-lingual
Enhancements user interface
A Web Server System To process and record customer credit card payments, issue software
licence codes and handle refunds
Educational Software (Multi-lingual) for foreign language students
Simulation Software Capable of simulating almost all activities at any railway vehicle
Package maintenance depot.
Existing Application With Lotus Notes in order to make information accessible to company
Interface users world-wide
It is very unlikely that we have already written a bespoke application

that would provide an immediate solution to your specific
requirements. We should, however, be happy to discuss your specific
requirements with you (without any obligation) and also demonstrate
some of the software that we have developed for other clients.

Our objective is to work with you at every stage of the bespoke
MUTUAL software development process in order to provide you with an
CONSULTANTS’ application that fits your needs precisely.
ROLE
Training We aim to make all our bespoke applications very intuitive to use and
fully supported with context-sensitive on-screen help and Acrobat
PDF documentation. We provide downstream training as required.
Development After a period of time, many clients ask us to enhance their

application in line with user requests (ie evolving the software in
parallel with the business) and with the development of the software
modules. When we develop an application we aim to structure the
software and data so that future enhancements can be incorporated
readily.
Support We provide software support for the applications we write either on

an ad hoc basis or via an annual support contract.
Bespoke software is increasing in popularity because "standard" off-

CONCLUSION the-shelf packages are not what organisations want or are simply not
available. Bespoke applications are very cost effective because
sophisticated software development modules are readily available.
In many instances, satisfying a client's particular software needs can
have a profound overall effect on the effectiveness and efficiency of
the business.
By definition, bespoke software is written to address a specific need.
It is very unlikely, therefore, that we have written an application that
would provide an immediate solution to your specific requirements.
We should, however, be happy to discuss your specific requirements
with you (without any obligation) and also demonstrate some of the
software that we have developed for other clients.

Please Contact
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000

Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010


Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Mutual Consultants Ltd BSD0905
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
United Kingdom
CSM0906
“Constructing and
running a computer
program that imitates the
operation of an existing or proposed
system/process in order to provide an
understanding of the ‘real’ system and how
it reacts to change”
Overview of Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM)
The Need
A Simulation Modelling Application is a computer application that imitates the operation of an
existing or proposed real-life system/process. Models are built in order to provide an
understanding of how the corresponding ‘real’ system would behave in certain situations. This is
often essential particularly where experimenting with the real system would be too costly, too
disruptive, impractical or even impossible.
Why Simulation Modelling

Simulation Modelling is a very powerful way of investigating (and hence understanding) the
complex relationships between a large number of variable factors in, for example, a production
process or the operation of a complex organisation. Most systems, and the questions we ask
about them, are far too complex for us to attempt to model them analytically - the only solution is
simulation (which mimics reality) on a computer.
Minimising Risk
By constructing a computer simulation of your system/process we can help you to identify and
test ideas (and even fine tune them to your best advantage), with the minimum financial risk (ie
before incurring the cost of implementation and without making expensive mistakes). You can
find out about your real system "safely" and without costly trial and error.
Example Simulation Modelling Application

Our Simulation Modelling Application called GenMod is capable of modelling almost all activities
at most railway vehicle maintenance depots. It helps clients predict the impact of depot
development on both fleet and depot performance. The client provides data which fully describe
train running, the depot and the fleet(s) which are to be simulated. GenMod uses this data to
model depot and fleet activity for as many simulated days as the user requires.

Our role is to work closely with the client both during the development of the Simulation Modelling
Application and downstream to ensure that the resulting application imitates the real life
system/process and that the application continues to evolve in line with the business needs.
Benefits
Simulation Modelling Applications yield the following benefits:
• Avoiding costly mistakes - The cost of developing an application is small compared with
what can be lost in a real life experiment
• Iterate to the best solution - You can test different ideas again and again with different
inputs ie. iterate towards the best solution
• Time saving - You can simulate years of operation in minutes
• Interaction of Random Events - You can build randomness into your system/process and
see the effects. This allows you to describe events and timings as they occur in real life.
Intentionally Blank
Contents
WHAT IS COMPUTER SIMULATION MODELLING?.............. 1

WHAT CAN BE SIMULATED?................................................. 1
WHY SIMULATE? .................................................................... 2
SIMULATION v OTHER TECHNIQUES ................................... 2
EXAMPLE OF A SIMULATION MODELLING
APPLICATION.......................................................................... 3
BENEFITS OF SIMULATION MODELLING............................. 4
CONCLUSION .......................................................................... 5
To open a printable version of this CSM brochure, please click

A Simulation Modelling Application is a computer application that
WHAT IS COMPUTER imitates the operation of an existing or proposed real-life
SIMULATION system/process. In general terms, models are built in order to provide
MODELLING? an understanding of how the corresponding "real" system would
behave in certain situations. This is often essential particularly where
experimenting with the real system would be too disruptive, too
costly, impractical or even impossible (such as the case of a system
or process which does not yet exist).
If the real system/process is simple then it may be possible to use
mathematical methods (e.g. algebra, calculus, etc.) to build a precise
model which will give exact answers - this is "analytical modelling".
Such models can be readily constructed using a spreadsheet.
However, most systems, and the questions we ask about them,
are far too complex for us to attempt to model them analytically.
The only solution is simulation - in which case it is best
performed by writing a Simulation Modelling Application on a
computer.
Simulation Modelling is a very powerful way of investigating
(and hence understanding) the complex relationships between a
large number of variable factors in, for example, a production
process or the operation of a complex organisation.
Most simulation models are time based and take into account all the
resources and constraints involved, and the way these things interact
with each other as time passes. Simulation also builds in the
randomness you would see in real life. For example, it does not
always take exactly 5 minutes for particular operation to be
performed, process equipment can breakdown unexpectedly with
varying amounts of downtime etc.
This means that a Simulation Modelling Application can mimic
reality – in this way the model can be used to predict behaviour
of, say, a process to see how it would perform in real life (with
all its uncertainties).
There are many scenarios that can be simulated; in general, systems

WHAT CAN BE that can be summarised using a flow chart (ie a process flow with
SIMULATED? discrete events) can be simulated. Areas in which we have worked
include staff utilisation modelling, shift modelling and process
reliability - the scope is endless.
The processes where most benefit may be gained are those that
involve change over time, randomness and where there are
complex relationships between large numbers of variable
factors.
Realistically, such systems can only be analysed by constructing and
running a Simulation Modelling Application.
CSM0906 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 Page CSM/1

By constructing a Simulation Modelling Application of your process
WHY SIMULATE? we can help you to identify and test ideas (and even fine tune them to
your best advantage); this is at a fraction of the cost of trying your
ideas “for real” and with the minimum financial risk (ie before
incurring the cost of implementation and without making expensive
mistakes). Once the model has been developed, ideas can be tested
very quickly (for example, the model may be able to simulate years of
operation in a matter of minutes) which in turn will generate many
more ideas. By using the model you will gain insights into how to run
the process or organisation more effectively.
The Simulation Modelling Application will automatically record
performance measures as the model runs so that you can get
representative numerical results to validate the value (or
otherwise) of your ideas.
Simulation provides you with a deep insight into how your process
works (or does not work!). The mere process of developing a
Simulation Modelling Application can reveal solutions that will make
your process work better.
One alternative to simulation is to test your ideas in real life (ie trial
SIMULATION v and error that relies on gut feel!). Trial and error has serious
OTHER TECHNIQUES shortcomings:
• Cost - Experimenting in "real life" can be very costly. It is not
just the cost of introducing change but the cost of making a
bad decision.
The cost of writing a Simulation Modelling Application is
small compared with the money that can be lost in a "real
life" experiment
• Iteration - In real life you only get one chance to experiment
and collect the results and so you cannot test different ideas
under identical circumstances.
With simulation you can test the same system repeatedly
with different inputs - ie you can iterate to the best
solution
• Time - It takes time to conduct a real life experiment - it may
be years before you find out whether or not your idea worked.
With a Simulation Modelling Application you can simulate
years of operation in a matter of minutes - ie. you get the
answer now instead of when it is too late.
Page CSM/2 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 CSM0906

Another alternative to simulation is to create an analytical model of
your process or system; this also has limitations:
• Interaction of Random Events - Analytical models can model
a steady state scenario but only simulation modelling lets you
build in randomness, for example machine failures,
absenteeism etc, and allow you to see the effects.
Simulation Modelling is the only way of investigating (and
hence understanding) the complex relationships between
a large number of variable factors.
• System Complexity - Analytical modelling can precisely
describe a system and accurately predict its behaviour but it is
usually only attempted if the system is relatively simple.
For complex systems (such as a manufacturing facility),
only simulation gives you the flexibility to describe events
and timings as they actually are in real life.
EXAMPLE OF A GenMod is a Simulation Modelling Application which is capable

of modelling almost all activities at most railway vehicle
SIMULATION maintenance depots. We use this application to help clients
MODELLING predict the impact of depot development on both fleet and depot
APPLICATION performance.
The effective development and management of a railway depot
involves a regular re-evaluation of how best to respond to changing
engineering, commercial and operational pressures.
These changes may include:
• increased depot workloads
• revised depot layouts
• different staffing skills, mix and levels
• different fleet sizes
• new vehicle maintenance schedules
• changing failure rates, etc.
The client provides data which fully describe train running, the depot
and the fleet(s) which are to be simulated. GenMod uses this data to
model depot and fleet activity for as many simulated days as the user
requires.
By making minor alterations to the data files and re-running the
simulation, users can investigate many "what if?" scenarios.
Without GenMod, the only ways to assess the impact of depot
development are:
• guesswork/"gut feel"
• build, and play with, scale models

• write an analytical model (eg a spreadsheet)
• try it for real and see what happens.
With the help of GenMod, we can give clients an opportunity to test
ideas for change, and even fine tune them to best advantage (by
running a series of simulations), before committing financial and
other resources to them. Many parameters can be varied (either
simultaneously or individually) allowing clients to investigate many
"what if?" scenarios.
GenMod presents the results of each simulation run (such as
predetermined key performance indicators) identifying, say, the
effects of various staffing levels, which allows the client to determine
which areas of change look the most promising for subsequent
implementation.
BENEFITS OF By constructing a computer simulation of your system/process we

can help you to identify and test ideas (and even fine tune them to
SIMULATION your best advantage), with the minimum financial risk (ie before
MODELLING incurring the cost of implementation and without making expensive
mistakes).
Simulation started in manufacturing where it was used as a "check
the design will work" approach. Experience showed that simulation is
best applied early in the design project because the design will only
be right if the design process itself takes into account how all the
resources and rules will interact to impact the process flows.
The following is a summary of the benefits that simulation modelling
can bring:
• Avoiding costly mistakes - The cost of developing a
Simulation Modelling Application is usually small compared
with the money that can be lost in a real life experiment
• Iterate to the best solution – With a Simulation Modelling
Application you can test different ideas again and again with
different inputs; in this way you can iterate towards the best
solution.
• Time saving – With a Simulation Modelling Application you
can simulate years of operation in a matter of minutes – in
short, you get a deep insight into how your system/process
works, revealing solutions that will make your process work
better
• Interaction of Random Events – Simulation modelling lets
you build in randomness into your system/process and allow
you to see the effects. Simulation Modelling is the only way of
investigating (and hence understanding) the complex
relationships between a large number of variable factors. Only
simulation gives you the flexibility to describe events and
timings as they occur in real life.
Page CSM/4 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 CSM0906

Our role is to work closely with the client both during the development
MUTUAL of the Simulation Modelling Application and downstream to ensure
CONSULTANTS’ that the resulting application imitates the real life system/process and
ROLE that the application continues to evolve in line with the business
needs.
By constructing a computer simulation of your system/process we

CONCLUSION can help you to identify and test ideas (and even fine tune them to
your best advantage), with the minimum financial risk (ie before
incurring the cost of implementation and without making expensive
mistakes.
Simulation modelling is particularly powerful (and the only realistic
solution) if you wish to identify opportunities for change and but are
held back by the complex relationships between a large number of
variable factors in your system/process.
By applying a Simulation Modelling Application you can find out
about your real system "safely" and without costly trial and error.

Please Contact
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000

Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010


Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Mutual Consultants Ltd CSM0906
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
United Kingdom
RDM0907
“Simulation of
most activities at an
existing or proposed railway
maintenance depot in order to predict
depot and fleet performance for any given
set of input parameters”
Overview of Railway Depot Modelling (RDM)
Pressures on Railway Depots

The effective development and management of a railway depot involves a regular re-evaluation of
how best to respond to changing engineering, commercial and operational pressures such as
increased depot workloads, revised depot layouts and new vehicle maintenance schedules
Depot Managers may face questions such as "how can we alter the depot shift patterns to
maximise staff utilisation?" or "how is the depot going to cope with the new fleet?" or "what would
happen if ....?"
Railway maintenance depots involve many complex inter-related activities. It is, therefore, not
always obvious what effect a change in one area may have on the overall performance of a depot
and its fleet of vehicles.
Managing the Change

We can help today’s depot managers to ask and answer depot-related questions with the
minimum of risk to engineering, commercial and operational performance. Our approach uses a
modern sophisticated computer simulation package to model your railway maintenance depot.
This computer model accurately simulates all your depot’s and fleet’s activities, carefully noting
the net effects on performance caused by the interaction of a large number of variable factors. By
using the software we provide the opportunity to test your ideas for change, and even fine tune
them to your best advantage, before financial and other resources are committed in making the
changes.
In summary, by using computer simulation we can investigate the very complex relationships
between a large number of variable factors which ultimately govern the efficient operation of a
railway depot.
Our Approach
We work closely with you in the following stages of a modelling project: Requirements Analysis,
Data Gathering, Calibration, Simulation and Reporting. This approach enables us to investigate
any number of “what if?” scenarios. Once set up, the model is easily re-run at a later date to
assess future developments.
Benefits
The major benefit of Mutual Consultants’ approach is that it provides you with the opportunity to
test rapidly and safely a variety of possible changes that you may be considering in response to
changing engineering, commercial and operating pressures.
In addition, being able to base your decisions confidently on our modelling output may mean, for
example, the smooth introduction of a new fleet of vehicles or moving the right number of staff
from nights to days, and still covering the morning peak.
Crucially, you will be able to test these ideas and even fine tune them to your best advantage,
before committing financial and other resources to them and without incurring expensive
mistakes.

Intentionally Blank
Contents
INTRODUCTION....................................................................... 1
IS YOUR RAILWAY DEPOT FULLY OPTIMISED? ................. 1
Depot Layout .......................................................... 2
Depot Resources.................................................... 2
Staffing .................................................................... 2
Maintenance Workload .......................................... 2
OUR APPROACH..................................................................... 3
Traditional Approaches ......................................... 3
Railway Depot Simulation Modelling.................... 3
The Stages of a Simulation Modelling Project..... 3
Assess Resources Required .......................4
Collect Raw Data ..........................................4
Format Data For Use in Model.....................4
Calibrate the Model ......................................5
Iterate to Solution(s).....................................5
Report Back ..................................................6
BENEFITS ................................................................................ 6
Financial.................................................................. 6
Physical................................................................... 7
CONCLUSION .......................................................................... 7
To open a printable version of this RDM brochure, please click

INTRODUCTION The efficient operation of any railway vehicle maintenance depot is
determined by the complex interaction of a large number of variable
factors. A depot which is apparently “ticking over nicely” could easily
become disturbed by inappropriate or poorly-managed changes. The
effects on a depot caused by such changes can often be surprising,
and even confusing, despite the best of intentions.
The effective development and management of a railway depot
involves a regular re-evaluation of how best to respond to changing
engineering, commercial and operational pressures.
This brochure describes our approach to the problem of determining
what the most appropriate changes are, and what effects they will
have on depot and fleet performance
IS YOUR RAILWAY Depot Managers considering minor or major changes to a depot or its
fleet of vehicles will almost certainly be contemplating one or more of
DEPOT FULLY the following:
OPTIMISED? • increased depot workloads
• revised depot layouts
• different staffing skills, mix and levels
• different fleet sizes
• new vehicle maintenance schedules
• changing failure rates, etc.
Hence, the following are typical questions that Depot Managers may
face:
• “operationally, where is the best place to put the new washing
plant?”
• “how can we alter the depot shift patterns to maximise staff
utilisation?”
• “exactly how will two more roads in the main shed influence
depot capacity?”
• “how is the depot going to cope with the new fleet?”
• “can we realistically tender for that heavy overhaul contract
and still expect to run next year’s timetable?”
• “how many staff can we move from nights to days and still
ensure we cover the morning peak?”
• “what about fuelling trains on the way out rather than on the
way in?”
• “what would happen if ....?”
RDM0907 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 Page RDM/1

Depot Layout Basic depot layout is a fundamental factor in determining overall
depot performance.
How many sheds or “work areas” do you need and what size should
they be? What roads are required within the sheds, and how long
should they be? How should the roads be split into discrete bays?
Which roads need to be electrified, and what do you need in the way
of stabling sidings?
If a depot’s layout does not ideally suit its requirements then every
day and every night will be a struggle for the depot staff and, in the
long run, it will lead to inefficient operation of the depot
Depot Resources Without the appropriate resources, even a well laid out depot will not
perform adequately.
Are any of the following required, and where should they be sited?
• washing plant, toilet flushing/emptying facilities
• train cleaning equipment (e.g. side platforms)
• lifting facilities (overhead and/or in-pit)
• wheel re-profiling equipment
• electronics clean room
• stores space
Staffing The performance of a depot depends absolutely upon its employees.

How many skilled staff are required? What types of staff should you
have? What skill levels are needed? What shift patterns are most
appropriate?
The problem is how best to determine the optimum staffing levels,
skills, shift patterns, etc.
Maintenance Workload How a fleet’s maintenance requirements are planned can

dramatically affect a depot’s ability to complete its workload efficiently
and effectively. A depot considering undertaking work on behalf of
third parties needs to be confident that the capacity for that work
either does or could exist.
A depot’s workload can be split into the following categories:
• scheduled running maintenance (should they be balanced or
cumulative exams; should they be done during the day or
overnight?)
• scheduled overhauls (should the work be done in-house or
should it be contracted out?)
• unscheduled maintenance (repairs & failures)
• modifications (what if a major modification programme is
required soon after entering service?)
Page RDM/2 © Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009 RDM0907

Considering workload in combination with the depot raises two
possible questions:
• how could the depot be developed in order to best cope with
the existing workload?
• how could the workload be best adjusted to suit the existing
depot?
OUR APPROACH There are many alternative approaches that could be deployed to
answer the questions raised in the previous section
Traditional Approaches The following approaches have been used traditionally in railway
depot development, with varying degrees of success:
• informed guesswork/“gut feel”
• building and operating scale models
• simulating the depot and fleets with a spreadsheet
• trying it for real to see what happens.
All the above approaches mean that changes are made on the basis
of incomplete information, and they are, therefore, likely to have one
or more of the following shortcomings:
• very expensive mistakes can occur
• depot development stagnates through fear of failure
• key staff are distracted from the day-to-day running of the
depot.
Railway Depot Simulation Our approach involves accurately modelling the depot and its fleet(s)
Modelling in order to provide depot managers with the best possible information
on which to base decisions for depot development.
We make use of a sophisticated railway depot simulation software
package which is capable of modelling almost all activities at most
railway depots. The model simulates as many days as are required
using a comprehensive set of input parameters and then predicts
likely depot and fleet performance.
We believe this approach is the only one which caters for and
recognises that the efficient operation of any railway maintenance
depot is determined by the complex interaction of a large number of
variable factors
The Stages of a Simulation Mutual Consultants Limited works closely with you at every one of
Modelling Project the following stages of a simulation modelling project:
• assess resources required
• collect raw data
• format data for use in the model

• calibrate the model
• iterate to solution(s)
• report back.
Each of these stages is described in more detail in the following
paragraphs.
Assess Resources Required The purpose of this stage is to estimate what resources will be
required in order to complete the modelling project; this will then
enable you to assess whether the time, effort and money looks
worthwhile.
First, it is necessary to define the overall objectives for the modelling
project. For example, it may be stated as “to determine the optimum
size of the main shed extension” (a relatively small project) or,
perhaps, “to provide predictions of depot and fleet performance for
various alternative depot refurbishment schemes” (a large modelling
project).
Next, an estimate is made of the time and resources required to
collect basic raw data about the depot and the fleet(s). This
information is the core of the model and needs to be to a sufficient
quality to ensure success of the modelling project.
A “strategy” is planned for performing the actual computer
simulations. This means determining how best to present the data to
the model, which input parameters will be altered between
simulations and which key performance indicators are to be used to
judge the success (or otherwise) of each simulation run.
We will then prepare a document which fully details the resources
and costs required to build the model and run the simulations,
enabling you to decide whether or not to continue.
Collect Raw Data Once the decision has been made to continue, the next stage is to
collect the raw data required. This data used to “drive” the model.
This involves our consultant working closely with depot (and other)
staff as required to collect information about the depot, the fleet(s) of
vehicles, the maintenance workload, and costs (where relevant).
Format Data For Use in Model The raw data collected in the previous stage needs to be structured
into a format acceptable to the simulation model. This entails writing
structured text files that the model can read and understand.
The data will be split into several categories, and there could be a
large number of text files depending on the complexity of the
modelling project. The data categories are:
• global information
o depots/stations
o staff types
o vehicle types
o job names

• depot information
o work areas
o roads
o bays
o bay capabilities
• staff information
o shifts
o turns
• train running information
o diagrams
o journeys
• vehicle maintenance information
o scheduled running maintenance
o scheduled overhauls
o unscheduled maintenance (repairs/failures)
o modifications.
Calibrate the Model Where possible, the simulation model will be “calibrated”.
In this stage, a simulation (of the depot in its existing state) is run and
the resulting output is compared with actual depot and fleet
performance to confirm that it looks sensible and that discrepancies
can be explained.
If the output is not sensible or discrepancies cannot be explained
then the input data is re-examined in order to determine the root of
the problem.
The purpose is to ensure that the model behaves in a sensible way
and, that where there are discrepancies between model behaviour
and reality these can be satisfactorily explained.
Confidence in the model output is much greater once it has been
calibrated in this way.
Iterate to Solution(s) The data which has already been prepared can now be processed by
the computer simulation model. One or more sets of simulation “runs”
are made according to the strategy determined in the first stage of
our approach. Each individual run produces several output data files.
This output is examined and interpreted. Extreme scenarios are
quickly dismissed, leaving an area of “middle ground” which warrants
more detailed investigation.
For example, a project may be investigating the effects of varying the
number of skilled staff available each day in a shed which currently
has 50 employees. Several runs may have been set up which tested
the following numbers of staff: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. It would be
expected that 10 staff would cause the depot to “grind to a halt” and
that 70 staff would give unacceptably low staff utilisation - these are
the “extreme scenarios” referred to above. The results may well
indicate that it would be worth considering a second series of runs
with staff numbers varying in smaller increments between 30 and 50.
In this way, the data is “fine tuned” and re-run and the model “zooms
in” on the optimum solution.
Report Back All the above steps are documented in summary and in full detail,
providing you with the best possible information on which to base
your final decisions for change.
BENEFITS The major benefit of Mutual Consultants Limited’s approach is that it

provides you with the opportunity to rapidly and safely test a variety
of possible responses to changing engineering, commercial and
operational pressures.
Furthermore, the investment in the initial simulation modelling project
can potentially “pay back” many times. A depot will continue to
develop in response to changing needs over time; the data gathered
and modelling expertise developed during the initial project remains
available for use in future projects. Future projects will, of course,
require considerably less time and resources.
More specific benefits are listed below, under the headings of
financial and physical benefits.
Financial Using our approach may, for example, mean that one less member of
staff is employed at the depot than would otherwise have been the
case.
If we say the cost of employing that person is £30k pa, then
over, say, 15 years this would save £450k.
Using our approach may, for example, mean avoiding a failure to
cover one train diagram per week.
If the average financial penalty for not covering a train diagram
is, say, £5k (totalling £250k pa), then over, say, 15 years this
would save £3.75m.
Using our approach may, for example, mean that, where a fleet’s
maintenance workload is split between two depots, one less
movement of trains between the two depots per week is required
than would otherwise have been the case.
If the average cost of a movement to another depot is, say,
£500 (totalling £25k pa), then over, say, 15 years this would
save £375k.

Physical Simulation modelling highlights the complex interactions between all
the variable factors which determine overall depot and fleet
performance. This cannot be achieved realistically by any other
method.
Our approach provides you with a zero-risk environment in which to

test all the effects of your proposed changes.
By testing various possibilities, you can quickly determine optimum
solutions for:
• depot layout
• depot resources
• depot staffing
• maintenance workload.
You are provided with comprehensive simulation modelling project
reports which present you with the best possible information on which
to base your final decisions for change. This creates an audit trail for
your decisions, making them both sensible and defensible.
MUTUAL Our role is to work closely with clients to understand fully how the
existing/proposed depots/fleets operate in order to enable us to build
CONSULTANTS’ the best possible model that can, therefore, accurately predict
ROLE depot/fleet performance given any set of input parameters.
CONCLUSION By adopting a structured approach to railway depot simulation

modelling, many parameters can be varied (either simultaneously or
individually) allowing us to investigate may “what if?” scenarios.
Furthermore, once the data has been gathered and a model set up,
we can re-run the simulation in the future as new developments need
to be assessed.
You will be able to test ideas for change, and even fine tune them to
your best advantage, before committing financial and other resources
to them and thereby avoiding expensive mistakes.

Please Contact
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000

Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010


Intentionally Blank

Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Mutual Consultants Ltd RDM0907
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
United Kingdom
RCM DESKTOP ...................................................................................... 1
OPERATING REQUIREMENTS.............................................................. 1
SOFTWARE EDITIONS .......................................................................... 2
BASIC .................................................................................................... 2
INTERMEDIATE ........................................................................................ 2
ADVANCED ............................................................................................. 2
ULTIMATE ............................................................................................... 2
BASIC EDITION ...................................................................................... 3
USER-DEFINED TASK SELECTION LOGIC.................................................. 3
ANALYSIS LIST ....................................................................................... 4
THE ANALYSIS TREE ............................................................................... 4
ANALYSIS PROPERTIES ........................................................................... 5
LOOKUP TABLES .................................................................................... 6
BACKUP AND RESTORE ........................................................................... 7
INTERMEDIATE EDITION ...................................................................... 8
ASSET HIERARCHY ................................................................................. 8
COMPANY INFORMATION ......................................................................... 8
ANALYSIS PROPERTIES ........................................................................... 8
THE ANALYSIS TREE ............................................................................... 9
ANALYSIS DIARY................................................................................... 10
DOCUMENTATION ERRORS .................................................................... 10
QUERIES AND ACTIONS ......................................................................... 10
SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS .......................................................................... 11
RENUMBERING ..................................................................................... 11
SEARCH / REPLACE / SPELL CHECK ...................................................... 12
STANDARD FAILURE-FINDING CALCULATIONS ........................................ 12
COPY / EXPORT / IMPORT ANALYSES ..................................................... 13
ADVANCED EDITION........................................................................... 14
FACILITATOR VIEW ................................................................................ 14
“LIVE” SPELL CHECKER ....................................................................... 16
AUTO TEXT........................................................................................... 16
WORTH DOING CALCULATOR ................................................................ 17
“AS 1A1” ............................................................................................ 17
DRAG AND DROP .................................................................................. 18
ADVANCED FAILURE-FINDING CALCULATIONS ........................................ 18
DOCUMENT & PHOTO LINKS .................................................................. 18
EXPORT DATA GRIDS ............................................................................ 19
CHECK-OUT AND CHECK-IN .................................................................. 19
ULTIMATE EDITION ............................................................................. 20
SQL QUERY BUILDER........................................................................... 20
PRINTED REPORTS............................................................................. 21
TREE AND GRID REPORTS ..................................................................... 21
FIXED FORMAT REPORTS ...................................................................... 22
SINGLE AND MULTI-USER VERSIONS .............................................. 25
SINGLE-USER VERSION.......................................................................... 25
MULTI-USER VERSION ........................................................................... 25
RCM DESKTOP BENEFITS ................................................................. 25
RCM PROJECT SIZE ............................................................................. 26
WHY NOT WORD PROCESSORS OR SPREADSHEETS? ............................. 26
TECHNICAL SUPPORT........................................................................ 26
UPDATES.............................................................................................. 27
UPGRADES ........................................................................................... 27
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT............................................ 27
FEATURE COMPARISON TABLE ....................................................... 28
To open a printable version of this RCM Desktop brochure, please click

“WRITTEN BY FACILITATORS FOR FACILITATORS”
RCM DESKTOP RCM Desktop software has been developed to provide

advanced support for the application of RCM.
Special attention has been paid to the role of the RCM

Facilitator in order to maximise their productivity (especially
during analysis group meetings) with advanced ease-of-use
and speed-of-use features that make RCM Desktop fast and
intuitive.
The software removes the need for technical typists, reams of

paperwork or walls covered in flip charts.
The overall philosophy behind the design of the software is:
“To enable the RCM Facilitator to manage

efficiently all aspects of an RCM Analysis and to
document it live during analysis group meetings
using any RCM Task Selection Logic.”
OPERATING RCM Desktop will run on any PC capable of running

Windows 2000, XP or Vista:
REQUIREMENTS
RDS0802
© RCM Desktop, 2009 Page RDS/ 1
SOFTWARE RCM Desktop is available in four editions which include

progressively more features; each edition includes all the
EDITIONS features provided in the lower priced editions:
Basic The RCM Desktop Basic Edition provides the minimum set of
features required to document an RCM analysis using any
RCM Task Selection Logic.
It is intended for users who plan to do a small number of

RCM analyses or who are, perhaps, undertaking a RCM pilot
project and don’t yet need any of the more advanced
features.
Intermediate The RCM Desktop Intermediate Edition provides further

features designed to enhance facilitator productivity and allow
input of additional supporting information.
It is intended for users who wish to make use of the additional

productivity features or who have a small number of RCM
analyses to document.
Advanced The RCM Desktop Advanced Edition is everything an RCM

Facilitator could ask for, incorporating a set of highly-
advanced facilitator productivity features.
It is intended for users who wish to maximise facilitator

productivity, who wish to dispense with paperwork and flip
charts and who need to manage one or more large RCM
projects.
Ultimate The RCM Desktop Ultimate Edition includes a visual SQL

query builder which has full SQL access to the underlying
RCM Desktop database tables and views.
It is intended for users who need to design their own queries

for exporting RCM data to other systems.
The distinguishing features included in each RCM Desktop

edition are described in the following sections.
Appendix 1 at the end of this brochure contains a feature

comparison table which shows how the features described in
this brochure map into each RCM Desktop edition.
RDS0802
Page RDS/2 © RCM Desktop, 2009
BASIC EDITION The key features of the Basic Edition of RCM Desktop are
explained below:
User-Defined Task There are many different RCM task selection logic diagrams
Selection Logic in existence; a major feature of RCM Desktop is that it does
not tie you down to any particular one. You can use any logic
that you wish. You can even define your own Task Selection
Logic and incorporate it into the RCM Desktop.
List of RCM Task Selection Logics
Decision Logic Editor, showing RCM2 Decision Logic
Any RCM analysis recorded in the RCM Desktop can use

any Task Selection Logic and the software automatically
configures itself to match the initial decision logic selected for
the analysis.
RCM Desktop is supplied with some of the more common

RCM selection logics already installed including the Aladon
RCM2 Decision Logic.
RDS0802
Analysis List The Analysis List is where individual RCM analyses are
managed. In the Basic Edition users can create analyses,
open them for editing and delete them.
Analysis List Window
The Analysis Tree In the Basic Edition editing of Functions, Functional Failures,
Failure Modes and Scheduled Tasks is done using a powerful
grid which presents data to the user in a similar fashion to a
spreadsheet, but much more intelligently.
The grid shows the analysis as a tree structure, with

Functions at the highest level, Functional Failures at the 2nd
level, Failure Modes on the 3rd, and so on.
Analysis Tree expanded as far as Failure Mode Details
RDS0802
The Analysis Tree grid allows a large amount of information

to be recorded against each Failure Mode:
Failure Effects
Analysis Group’s Decision
Responses to Decision Logic questions (+ Comments)
Maintenance Task(s) – basic details only
Down Time
Repair Time
Contingency Action
General Comments
Redesigns.
The grid is highly customisable. Columns can be rearranged;
columns can be hidden/shown; records can be grouped by
any column; records can be sorted by any column. So, users
can define their own preferred layout.
The grid can be printed at any time and will appear on paper
exactly as it appears on the screen (with instant switching
between European and American paper sizes):
Sample Print of Analysis Tree Grid
Analysis Properties The following information can be stored against each RCM
analysis in the Basic Edition:
Reference ID
Title
RCM Decision Logic used
Labour Costs per man-hour
Version/Revision
Date
RDS0802
Analysis Status
Group members
General comments
Facilitator(s)
Analysis Properties tab of Analysis Editor window
Lookup Tables All Editions of RCM Desktop allow users to define their own
lists of frequently-used items in lookup tables. The Basic
Edition allows the following lists.
Skills List – is used to populate a drop-down list for specifying

who should perform a maintenance Task. This can later be
used to group Tasks by the skill required.
Editing the Skills List
RDS0802
Redesign Types – is used to populate a drop-down list for

specifying the type of each Redesign. This can then be used
to group Redesigns by type.
Editing the Redesign Types List
Backup and Restore On multi-user systems, it is assumed that existing company

network server backup routines will provide adequate data
protection.
On single-user systems, RCM Desktop makes it very easy

for users to backup the entire RCM database to any available
device (e.g. USB memory stick, SD card, writeable CD,
network drive).
Backup folders are automatically created using the database

name and the date and time of creation. Users can optionally
set RCM Desktop to remind them to take a backup each time
the program is shut down.
Easy-to-use Backup Feature
If disaster strikes, users can easily navigate to the most

recent backup folder and restore their missing data.
RDS0802
Easy-to-use Restore Feature
INTERMEDIATE In addition to the features described above for the Basic

Edition, the key features of the Intermediate Edition of RCM
EDITION Desktop are explained below:
Asset Hierarchy The Asset Hierarchy is used to link the assets to the RCM
Analyses and record the Operating Contexts:
Asset Tree and Operating Context
Company Information This is used to store your company name, logo and copyright
notice so that they can appear on RCM Desktop reports.
Analysis Properties The following additional Analysis Properties long text fields
are available:
Boundaries of the analysis (what equipment is covered
by the analysis and what is not)
Assumptions upon which the analysis is based
Glossary of terms and abbreviations used throughout the
analysis (useful for readers not familiar with the
equipment or company jargon).
RDS0802
The Analysis Tree In the Intermediate Edition, the Analysis Tree grid provides
access to the following additional fields/features:
Several additional fields for fully-detailed Task
descriptions
Ability to assign Alarms and failure Symptoms to Failure

Modes for the generation of fault-finding guides
Instantly copy from one Failure Mode to another Failure

Effects, Downtime, Contingency Action, Comments,
Equipment Tags and Criticality data without having to
use the Windows clipboard
RDS0802
Analysis Diary The Analysis Diary allows the Facilitator to keep a log of
anything they wish for any given day of activity on an RCM
analysis. This may include:
Group members’ attendance
What was achieved during each meeting
Notes about the meeting.
Analysis Diary entries
Documentation Errors RCM analyses often reveal errors in technical documents.

RCM Desktop provides a place to record such errors so they
can be reported and rectified rather than forgotten.
Recording Documentation Errors
Queries and Actions During most RCM analyses, there comes a point where some
additional information is required and the facilitator needs to
delegate the job of finding it to members of the analysis
group. RCM Desktop enables the facilitator to record and
manage all queries and group member actions.
Recording Queries and Actions
RDS0802
Significant Findings An RCM analysis group will often discover significant,

interesting or even urgent facts about the asset being
analysed. These often warrant higher management attention
and should not be ignored or forgotten. RCM Desktop
enables you to store and report on such Significant Findings.
Recording Significant Findings
Renumbering As an RCM analysis progresses, the numbering of Functions,

Functional Failures and Failure Modes can become very
untidy as items are moved around and/or deleted. Gaps can
appear in the numbering of items.
RCM Desktop allows the facilitator to renumber all or part of

an analysis at any time.
Renumbering an Analysis
RDS0802
Search / Replace / Spell Standard search, replace and spell checking functions are
Check available in the Intermediate Edition.
Search and Replace
The Spell Checker
Standard Failure-Finding The two most frequently used failure-finding interval formulae
Calculations are available in the Intermediate Edition.
Reliability figures can be entered either as Failures per Million

Hours (fpmh) or as Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
using any time unit.
Failure-Finding Calculator
RDS0802
Copy / Export / Import Individual analyses can be:

Analyses
Copied within the same database
Exported to disk for later import to another database
Imported from another database
RDS0802
ADVANCED EDITION In addition to the features described above for the

Intermediate Edition, the key features of the Advanced
Edition of RCM Desktop are explained below:
Facilitator View The most significant feature of the Advanced Edition of RCM
Desktop is the “Facilitator View”. This is actually not a single
feature, but an entire group of features dedicated to
maximising facilitator productivity.
The Facilitator View
Everything that can be recorded about any given Failure

Mode is instantly accessible, all within a single window.
Easy Navigation
The left hand side of the
Facilitate Tab contains
buttons for all Functions,
Functional Failures and
Failure Modes, allowing
instant navigation to any part
of an RCM analysis.
RDS0802
Optional Panels
The Failure Mode area in the
Facilitate Tab is split in a
number of sub-panels.
Each sub-panel can easily

be shown or hidden so that
only those items that are
regularly used by the
facilitator actually appear on
the screen.
Rapid Data Entry

Keyboard shortcuts help with
entering data very quickly.
For example, entering a

large number of Functions is
simply a matter of repeating
the following sequence as
many times as required:
<press Ins> <type the function
text> <press Enter>
Task Selection Logic Responses

Recording the group’s
responses to the Task
Selection/Decision Logic
questions is easy.
The question reference IDs

are laid out on screen in the
same positions as drawn in
the Task Selection Logic
editor regardless of which
Decision Logic is used.
The facilitator clicks on the

“Y” or “N” for the questions
that he asks. The question
reference is then highlighted
in green (Y) or red (N).
To record a set of comments

against a question the
facilitator simply clicks on the
question’s reference and
starts typing.
RDS0802
Go To Target
An experienced facilitator
with an experienced analysis
group will frequently know
the decision for certain
failure modes and not need
to waste time in discussion
or detailed record keeping.
The Advanced Edition allows

the Facilitator to double click
on the Y or N for the task
selection logic question
where the failure mode “ends
up”. The correct responses
to all the previous questions
are automatically entered.
“Live” Spell Checker Just as in any modern word processor, the Advanced Edition
will highlight incorrectly spelled words with a red “squiggly”.
Live Spell Checking
Auto Text This is a major time-saving feature. Facilitators often need to

use the same phrases over and over again which can be
laborious to type in full. The Advanced Edition allows the user
to set up abbreviations for frequently used phrases.
Whenever the abbreviation is typed…
…the RCM Desktop immediately replaces it with the

specified text:
RDS0802
Worth Doing Calculator The Advanced Edition includes a versatile “worth-doing”

calculator to assist with calculating whether or not tasks for
failures with economic consequences are worth doing.
One tab of the worth-doing calculator
It can even perform the calculation “in reverse” – this allows

the facilitator to calculate how bad the failure MTBF needs to
be in order to make the task worth doing. This is extremely
useful when the MTBF is not known accurately.
“As 1A1” Facilitators often find that the documentation relating to one
Failure Mode is extremely similar to another (especially if they
are under the same Functional Failure).
The Advanced Edition

enables the Facilitator to
copy instantly as much as is
necessary from one Failure
Mode to another without
having to use the Windows
clipboard or having to
navigate to the other Failure
Mode.
This saves a lot of time and

minimises copying errors.
RDS0802
Drag and Drop RCM facilitators often need to copy information from one
analysis to another or to rearrange information within an
analysis.
The Drag and Drop feature of the Advanced Edition makes

this a very simple process.
Dragging a Functional Failure
In the example above, a Functional Failure is being dragged

from one analysis to another.
In an instant, this creates a copy of that Functional Failure

and all its Failure Modes and Decisions in the target analysis.
Advanced Failure-Finding Two additional failure-finding formulae are available in the

Calculations Advanced Edition.
Document & Photo Links The Advanced Edition permits the user to store links to
external documents such as drawings, user guides, technical
manuals, etc. Double-clicking on any link will open that
document in the associated application (assuming it is
installed and available).
Links to folders containing photographs can also be stored.

RCM Desktop displays resizable thumbnails of the
photographs in the folder and allows the user to display any
selected photograph and to zoom in on any part of it.
RDS0802
The Photograph Viewer
This is another great time saver. A set of detailed digital

photographs dramatically cuts down on analysis group visits
to the equipment.
Export Data Grids Much of the information stored in the RCM Desktop
database is presented in a powerful and highly customizable
spreadsheet-like grid. Most grids can be exported in Excel,
HTML, XML and CSV formats.
Export Dialog Box
Check-Out and Check-In For mobile facilitators who hold analysis meetings in various
locations, the Advanced Edition has a unique Check-Out /
Check-In Feature.
The facilitator can Check Out an analysis from the company’s

Master RCM Database onto their laptop. They can then work
on the analysis during the analysis meetings at a remote
location. When they return to base, the analysis can be
Checked In again to the Master database.
RDS0802
Analysis Check Out Dialog Box
While an analysis is Checked Out, it can still be opened in the

Master Database, but it will be read-only. This prevents any
conflicts when it is subsequently Checked In by the facilitator
ULTIMATE EDITION In addition to the features described above for the Advanced
Edition, the key features of the RCM Desktop Ultimate
Edition are explained below.
SQL Query Builder For users who require full SQL access to their RCM
database, RCM Desktop Ultimate Edition has a visual query
builder similar to that in MS Access.
Visual Query Builder
Users can visually build queries and save them to disk for
later retrieval. All standard SQL constructs are available,
including sorting, grouping, field and table aliases, sub-
queries, derived tables and unions.
Query results can be viewed in the RCM Desktop

customisable grid and then either be printed or exported to
Excel, HTML. XML or CSV formats.
RDS0802
PRINTED REPORTS RCM Desktop can print out both fixed-format reports and
reports based on the current contents and layout of any data
grid or tree.
Tree and Grid Reports Data trees and grids can be printed at any time and will
appear on paper exactly as they appear on the screen (with
instant switching between European and American paper
sizes):
Sample Print of Analysis Tree Grid
Sample Print of Asset Tree
Users have full control over the appearance of tree and grid
reports, including the ability to customise content, layout,
titles, headers, footers, page size, orientation, margins and
scaling.
Individual tree and grid reports can be saved within the RCM
Desktop database for later retrieval.
RDS0802
Fixed Format Reports A number of reports which have a fixed format and layout are
available in RCM Desktop, although several of them have
customisable content.
Decision Logic This report prints out any Decision Logic exactly as it is drawn
on the screen in the Task Decision Logic Editor.
Decision Logic Print
Function List This report prints the list of functions for the current, open
analysis.
.
Failure Mode Summary Report This report prints the functions, corresponding functional
failures and basic information for each corresponding failure
mode: failure effects, downtime, repair time, comments.
RDS0802
Decision Summary Report Prints a summary of the decision made for each failure mode,
including: all decision logic responses, any maintenance
tasks and any redesigns.
Audit Report This report prints out everything that exists about an analysis
in a single operation.
RDS0802
It can be printed with an optional “Auditor Comments” box

(shown above) in which an auditor can hand write any
comments they have about that page.
In the Failure Mode section of the report, every detail

recorded about the failure mode in the database is printed in
one place. This allows an auditor to review each failure mode
easily and quickly, one at a time.
It also means that the report can be used to reference and

understand everything about a failure mode very quickly.
On completion of the analysis, this report becomes an

excellent reference document for the analysed equipment.
RDS0802
SINGLE AND MULTI- RCM Desktop is available in single-user and multi-user

versions (except the basic edition which is only available as a
USER VERSIONS single-user version).
Single-user version Only one user may access the database at any time. This
version is intended for installation on stand-alone personal
computers for use by a single facilitator.
Multi-user version This version is intended for installation on a network and

allows multiple users to use the system simultaneously. This
means that several facilitators can work together within a
consistent asset hierarchy.
RCM DESKTOP RCM Desktop software has been developed to provide

advanced support for the application of RCM. Unlike most
BENEFITS software applications it has been written by professional
software authors who use the software day-to-day. In short, it
has been written by RCM facilitators for their own benefit and
for the benefit of other facilitators. The overall philosophy
behind the RCM Desktop is:
“To enable the RCM Facilitator to manage

efficiently all aspects of an RCM Analysis and to
document it live during analysis group meetings
using any RCM Task Selection Logic.”
Special attention has been paid to the role of the RCM

Facilitator in order to maximise productivity (especially during
analysis group meetings) with advanced ease-of-use and
speed-of-use features that make RCM Desktop fast and
intuitive. Productivity gains over other RCM software is
impressive, typically reducing facilitator effort in documenting
an RCM analysis by 50%. In particular, the software removes
the need for technical typists, reams of paperwork or walls
covered in flip charts.
RCM Desktop includes many features specifically designed

to make it quick and easy to extract information from one
analysis and incorporate it into another analysis. This
massively reduces the time taken to template a new RCM
analysis from one or more other analyses. With RCM
Desktop templates can be created in minutes whereas using
other software it can take hours.
RCM Desktop is continually being enhanced in response to

end-user requests and as technology evolves.
RDS0802
RCM Project Size RCM Desktop software is available in four different editions
and for single-user or multiple-user applications. In this way
RCM Desktop software caters for all RCM projects and
budgets ranging from a sole facilitator working alone to a
team of facilitators working on a massive RCM programme.
RCM Desktop has been designed to be upwards compatible

permitting upgrades from one edition to another as an RCM
programme grows in size, complexity and the number of
facilitators involved. End-users embarking on an RCM project
can, therefore, limit their costs in the early days by
purchasing the basic edition of RCM Desktop and upgrade to
the intermediate or advanced editions as confidence and
experience in RCM grows.
Why not Word Processors Many clients are tempted to document their RCM analyses
or Spreadsheets? using a word processor or spreadsheet or even to construct
their own database application. Many of these approaches do
little more than print basic information for an analysis and are,
frankly, a false economy; the RCM facilitator’s time would be
better spent using the RCM Desktop in an RCM analysis
meeting than trying to write an in-house application in a word
processor, spreadsheet or database.
The RCM Desktop software has taken man-years of

development to reach its current level of maturity; a ‘home-
grown’ application will probably never offer comparable
features or the time-saving facilities which come as standard
in the basic edition of RCM Desktop (which are described
elsewhere in this brochure). Furthermore, the flexibility of
being available in different versions ensures that the RCM
Desktop software is affordable regardless of the size or
stage of an RCM project.
TECHNICAL Included within the purchase price of the software licence is

90 days free product technical support by telephone, fax,
SUPPORT letter or email. Beyond the 90 days, clients may enter into an
annual support contract at an extra charge.
Technical support will only be provided for software-related

system problems.
This support will normally be available during normal United

Kingdom office hours. If one of our support consultants is not
available immediately, telephone requests for assistance will
usually be returned within one working day.
RDS0802
Updates Updates of the software correcting any errors will be issued

from time to time.
Licensees with paid-up maintenance agreements will receive

such updates free of charge.
Upgrades Upgrades to the software including feature enhancements will

be issued from time to time. Licensees with current paid-up
maintenance agreements will receive such upgrades at a
discount from the prevailing list price.
For more information Simon Deakin

please contact or
Steve Bailey
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire
CV21 3QP
Telephone: +44 (0)1788 555000
Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
The software described in this brochure is improving continuously; as a Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered
result, the information contained in this guide is subject to change trademarks of their respective companies.
without notice.
RDS0802
FEATURE COMPARISON TABLE

The table below shows how the features described in this brochure map into the four RCM
Desktop editions.
Edition
Feature Basic Intermediate Advanced Ultimate
User-definable decision logic
Analysis properties: comments, facilitator, group
members
Functions
Functional Failures
Failure Modes & Failure Effects
Basic task descriptions
Decision diagram supporting comments
Reports: Function List, Failure Mode Summary &
Decision Summary
‘As 1A1’ copy: failure effects
Analysis properties: Assumptions, boundaries, glossary
Analysis diary
Track analysis status
Asset hierarchy
All-in-one formal Audit Report
Company information (including logo)
Copy entire analysis
Record documentation errors
Basic Failure-finding formulae
‘As 1A1’ copy: contingency action, criticality, equipment
tags, times
Import/export analyses
Record queries and actions
Renumbering functions, functional failures & failure
modes
Basic search and replace
Record significant findings
Comprehensive task descriptions
Basic spell check
User management (multi-user only)
Special advanced Facilitator View
Advanced search and replace
Advanced spell check
Analysis check-out / check-in
Decision diagram “go to target”
‘As 1A1’ copy: alarms, symptoms, decision logic
responses, redesigns, maintenance tasks
Advanced-finding formulae
Live spell check and auto-correction
Links to photos and drawings
Links to external documents
Export maintenance tasks
Worth-doing calculator
Visual Query Builder
RDS0802
Page 28 © RCM Desktop, 2009
Intentionally Blank
MUTUAL CONSULTANTS LIMITED
Eastlands Court
St Peter’s Road
Rugby
Warwickshire Tel: +44 (0)1788 555000
CV21 3QP Fax: +44 (0)1788 555010
Email: info@mutualconsultants.ltd.uk
Internet: www.mutualconsultants.ltd.uk

RCM Specialists - Mutual Consultants LTD

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Formed in 1991,

Mutual Consultants Ltd

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Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2)

Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS)

Reliability-centred Spares (RCS)

Rationalisation and Balancing (RaB)

Bespoke Software Development (BSD)

Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM)

Railway Depot Modelling (RDM)

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• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you believe your

• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

• Rationalisation and Balancing of Maintenance Schedules (RaB) - If

• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your cost reduction efforts

• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to identify cost

• RCM Desktop Software – If your RCM facilitators are spending too

<< Back to Your Needs

• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you believe that your

• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you wish to overcome the

• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your plans for change are

• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to identify

<< Back to Your Needs

• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you wish to have

• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you wish to overcome the

• Rationalisation and Balancing of Maintenance Schedules (RaB) - If

• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your asset management

• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to "check that the

<< Back to Your Needs

• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you wish to determine

• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you wish to develop a structured

• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your Six Sigma initiatives or

<< Back to Your Needs

• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If you wish to adopt the

• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you wish to overcome the

• Rationalisation and Balancing of Maintenance Schedules (RaB) - If

• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your asset management

• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to test ideas for

<< Back to Your Needs

• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If your organisation is

• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

• Reliability-centred Spares (RCS) - If you have experienced poor

• Rationalisation and Balancing of Maintenance Schedules (RaB) - If

• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your performance

• Computer Simulation Modelling (CSM) - If you wish to identify

<< Back to Your Needs

• Reliability-centred Maintenance II (RCM2) - If your organisation is

• Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) - If you are undergoing or planning a

• Bespoke Software Development (BSD) - If your safety or environmental

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“A process used to determine

Mutual Consultants' Role