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Parameter Diagram and FMEA

Parameter Diagram and FMEA

When creating a robust design, there is probably no more important consideration than identifying the correct parameters and associated values. A robust design is insensitive to anticipated variation and P-Diagram visually shows the relationship between what the system is designed to do, the anticipated noises the system will encounter and the correct parameters to achieve the desired outcome. P-Diagram  can be an essential input to FMEA.

“Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.” Albert Einstein

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If this thing Breaks We are Going to Freeze to Death!!!

If this thing Breaks We are Going to Freeze to Death!!!

In February I did a hit and run trip to Fairbanks Alaska with my daughter, age 11, to try and see the Northern Lights.  It was a long shot but I’ve done nuttier expeditions and she was game.  It was actually her idea, and she knew who the right person was to ask for such a trip.  She turned 11 in January.  I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.  I was ready for the “this or that electronic” request.  Instead she said “I want to see the Northern Lights.”  First thought was “Geez that’s a bit extravagant”  but then my second thought was she’s 11 and this could have a great impact on her and what an interesting/cool thing to ask for.  It might energize an interest in physics or natural photography, or cold weather clothing design. I also thought about how in a few years she may not want to do anything with me because I’ll be an “idiot who doesn’t get it.”

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What Keeps The Fire Burning?

What Keeps The Fire Burning?

I’ve been proving RCM Facilitator Training for over twenty years….

I ran into an old friend at a conference recently and after we chatted about the things going on in each of our lives he asked me a series of questions that caught me a bit off guard.

How much longer do you plan to work?

Don’t you get sick of the travel?

You’ve been teaching and facilitating Reliability Centered Maintenance for over twenty years, doesn’t doing the same thing all the time get boring?

Have you ever thought about teaching other courses just to change it up a bit?

What motivates you to keep doing what you’re doing? [Read more…]

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The D-Word – Discipline Is Not a Dirty Word

The D-Word – Discipline Is Not a Dirty Word

Guest Post by Malcolm Peart (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

In our aging societies with a work force ranging from Baby Boomers through Generation Xers to Millennials the ‘D-Word’ may summon up images of stoical sergeant-major types shouting and barking and removing any freedom of thought or act.  Discipline is variously defined but it is generally understood to be ‘the ‘training that produces orderliness, obedience and self control to follow rules‘ and, operatively, if rules are broken ‘chastising or punishing‘.  . [Read more…]

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Mind Mapping for Non-Linear Thinking

Mind Mapping for Non-Linear Thinking

Sometimes a process doesn’t happen one step at a time. Sometimes, a problem we’re trying to solve has many moving and interacting elements.

Mind Mapping is a technique to capture those scattered thoughts, those non-linear processes, those myriads of interactions and dependencies. It’s a tool that is useful for brainstorming, organizing, and problem-solving. [Read more…]

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Marc Zimmerman – Large Capital Project Manager

Marc Zimmerman – Large Capital Project Manager

The first person I selected to write about is one who I consider a mentor. I met Marc Zimmerman in February of 1981, at the time he was a Journeyman Pipefitter in Kodak’s Polymer Department and I remember watching him work, making precise gore cut fittings and just being in awe of craftsmanship it takes to calculate, lay-out, cut and assemble these pieces. [Read more…]

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Transformation vs Disruption

Transformation vs Disruption

Guest Post by Joseph Paris (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

Transformation… I am hearing more and more talk about how companies are seeking to transform themselves, or that they are launching a transformation initiative.  And as expected, there is the corresponding increase in transformation conferences, symposia, articles and books.

But what is “transformation”? [Read more…]

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I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

In the past five weeks I have been to Miami, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago, Fairbanks Alaska, Fortuna Costa Rica.  For one stint of that I went Fairbanks to Boston to Costa Rica in a 24 hr period.  I walked into my home dropped the Alaska suitcase, grabbed the prepacked Cost Rica suitcase, slept for 6 hours ,and was back on a plane 13 hrs later.  I think that qualifies as a HALT test considering the lowest temperature I experienced in Fairbanks (Arctic circle edge) was -30F on top of a mountain and then 85F in Costa Rica in the Rainforest.

So why did I do all of this?  Because it’s me and it seemed fun.

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MSA 2 – Gage Variation

MSA 2 – Gage Variation

Most of us rely on accurate measurements. If these measurements are unreliable, then our decisions could be based on false information. How can we have confidence in our measurements?

The purpose of a measurement system analysis is to determine if a gauge is fit for use. This means that we can rely upon the measurements to give us a true indication of the parameter being measured. Our decisions will not be affected by erroneous data. So how can we know the quality of our measurements?
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Finding A Life In The Skilled Trades – My Start

Finding A Life In The Skilled Trades – My Start

I’ve always considered myself to be somewhat lucky in life. I survived being hit head on by a car when I was five years old. I grew up in a small town in Upstate NY that had little to do in the form of entertainment but a lot to offer those in search of a sound middle class life. While I still live in that same town it has transformed from a farming community to a suburb of Rochester. I have raised my children in this same town my parents and grandparents called home and my grandchildren are being raised here as well. While life is good in our Village whose slogan is “Someplace Special” the opportunities available to my generation aren’t what they used to be. Today, it’s tough to be lucky.

When I look back, I don’t have to think too hard to know why life turned out so good. I learned a trade. [Read more…]