Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) Practice Exam

In fault tree analysis (FTA), what is the starting point of the analysis?

1. The preliminary data collection

2. The final failure or event

3. The root cause identification

4. The analysis of historical data

The correct answer is: The final failure or event

In fault tree analysis (FTA), the analysis begins with the final failure or event. This approach is rooted in the concept that FTA is a top-down method used to analyze the pathways that can lead to a specific undesired event or system failure. By starting with the final failure event, analysts can systematically identify and evaluate the various causes and contributing factors that could lead to that event. This method allows for a structured visualization of the logical relationships among failures, enabling the identification of both immediate and underlying causes. The construction of the fault tree proceeds by breaking down the higher-level event into its potential contributing factors, working down to the more fundamental faults that could eventually lead to the identified failure. Thus, beginning the analysis at the final failure event is crucial as it sets the framework for identifying all relevant causes and helps prioritize them for potential remediation or mitigation strategies.