James Kovacevic — Thought Leader

Author of Maintenance and Reliability articles, ebooks, and host of Rooted in Reliability, co-host on Speaking of Reliability.

This author's archive lists contributions of articles and episodes.

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SMRP 03 – Rules of Thumb in Reliability

Rules of Thumb in Reliability

Reliability is a procedural science at its core. This simply means that it is guided by a discipline to follow the set procedure and incrementally improve. As human beings, we tend to have a slight weakness in strict adherence to procedures. Sometimes with reliability, it is usually a result of not having the fundamentals down that we end up with inconsistent operations. Ricky Smith, a renowned reliability expert shared nuggets of wisdom from his seasoned experiences. ᐅ Play Episode

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180-Work-order Management with John Reeve

Work-order Management with John Reeve

Work-order management is the key for successful asset management programs. It is usually incorporated in the CMMS in its designing stages to obtain knowledgeable information out of the system. It can be defined as the process of tracking of all the maintenance activities from initiation to completion. Work orders are used to keep record of every task that is being carried in the facility. It can be planned—when you have bigger jobs to perform such as condition-based monitoring—or it can be unplanned in case of small corrective actions of simple fixes.

In this episode, we covered:

What role does Work-order management play in asset management programs?
Why are planned work orders a good idea when there are complicated tasks to be carried out?
How can you save money even if you don’t have a formal work-order management process in place?
And much more!

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SMRP 01 – Role of Data in Reliability

Role of Data in Reliability

With the advent of Industry 4.0, data and connectivity have enabled equipment to become continuous factories of data. Whether process data, master data or realtime data, it has never been a more challenging time to adjust and harness the power of seemingly huge piles of potential information. Traditional maintenance and reliability are undergoing a tremendous shift as organizations become more data-driven. Sean Rosier and Nathanael Ince of PinnacleART are on the show to help us put in context, the relevance of data in reliability.
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SMRP 05 – Maintenance Perfection with Joe

Maintenance Perfection with Joe

It’s hard to hear someone talk about maintenance without mentioning reliability, or the other way around. While these terms are similar, they are not the same. In this episode, Joe Lonjin of Cohesive Solutions helps us get a better picture of how these two practices are different, and how to create harmony between them. ᐅ Play Episode

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179-Risk-Based Asset Criticality with Suzane Greeman

Risk-Based Asset Criticality with Suzane Greeman

Asset criticality plays a huge role in asset management. It is the ranking of assets depending upon the importance of every asset to the organization. When we talk about assessing that asset criticality, it means that we are determining that importance level of the assets within a particular organization. Once you know the criticality of each of your assets, you will be able to devise a methodology for risk based management of those assets. As it is a risk based process, everything related to that asset especially its history is very important for assessing the risk to that asset.

In this episode, we covered:

What role does Asset Criticality play in asset management?
What should we do once asset criticality is determined?
What is value based asses determination?
And much more!

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178-Risk with David Albrice

Risk with David Albrice

While doing asset management, the organizations are always keen to balance the outcomes between performance, cost, and risk. Risk is a huge part of asset management programs and can be defined as the uncertainty that an organizations faces to achieve its objectives. There are lot of things happening in an organization, so there are a lot of uncertainties all around. With innovation and growth opportunities, comes the risk as well. The risk is mostly considered in terms of negative experiences but it can lead to positive experiences too. Whenever you take a risk, there’s always a chance that things could go either way.

In this episode, we covered:

Why is risk a huge part of asset management programs?
Why is it important to manage risk with optimized trade-offs?
What are the risk types and how can we manage them effectively?
And much more!

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177-Project Manager’s Guide with Brandon Weil

Project Manager’s Guide with Brandon Weil

Planning and scheduling maintenance and reliability programs takes a bit of a work but implementing that plan takes real effort and that’s where the project managers come in. They are the ones who define the scope of the plan and come with estimates in terms of budget and time. Project planners usually have a singular responsibility and that is to divide the work into a group of activities. These activities are part of major interdependent processes and there are always risks involved that need to be identified and addressed at the very start. It is very difficult to get the results without proper planning and management.

In this episode, we covered:

How do you become an effective Project Manager?
What are the traits of a reliable Project Manager?
What are the the steps for M&R Implementation?
And much more!

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Bonus Episode-Planner Certification with Shon Isenhour

Planner Certification with Shon Isenhour

Behind a successful reliability program, there’s always a great plan for implementation. This is something that maintenance planners handle. They are the ones who create job plans, strategize those plans, and then develop procedures to implement them with success. The scope of a maintenance planner’s job is flexible, so there are different type roles that a planner or a planner and scheduler plays depending upon the type of the organization they are working for. Some of the maintenance planners receive proper training while the others just get into the process as they go along.

In this episode, we covered:

Why is a plan for implementation the key to a successful reliability program?
Why is consistent feedback important?
Why does planning and scheduling hold great organizational value?
And much more!

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176-RCA Tips with Shon Isenhour

RCA Tips with Shon Isenhour

RCA is one of the most basic yet most important of the processes in a reliability program. RCA isn’t just about solving a problem or fixing an error in your system. It is more than just finding a single root causes. When a problem occurs, there can be more than one reasons why that occurred in the first place. RCA helps us reduce the risk of that problem to a level that is acceptable to the organization. It is always a systemic and latent approach that takes time and should be done more often rather than just doing it when a problem has already occurred.

In this episode, we covered:

Why is RCA on of the most important processes in a reliability program?
What is the best way to solve any problem?
Why is note taking a vital part of RCA?
And much more!

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175-Cyber Security with Howard Penrose

Cyber Security with Howard Penrose

Cyber security can be a significant issue why your assets are not working as they are supposed to and you face more downtime than expected. When you use network enabled systems, there are a lot of things on the internet that can cause damage to your system. Viruses such as malwares, ad-wares, and other harmful software leave your asset vulnerable to all sorts of attacks. If you are a leading organization in the industry, your systems can be exposed to hackers as well. So, there are a lot of aspects that an organization needs to look at when installing an industrial system in the facility.

In this episode, we covered:

Why is cyber security a significant issue?
What are some security risks that organizations must look out for?
Why does an organization need to understand the risks involved when installing a new system or remote device?
And much more!

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174-What is the CMRT with Terry Torrence

What is the CMRT with Terry Torrence

As a Reliability Engineer, you are always keen to learn something new and practice it to add to your professional experience. There are a lot of ways to get the kind of knowledge that you need to be good at your job. Online certifications are a trendy way to get skills these days. These certifications are especially beneficial for engineers who don’t have the time to register to a university and take classes there. There are many good platforms that provide such certifications to help you shine in your career. One of such certifications is Certified Maintenance and Reliability Technician.

In this episode, we covered:

What is the CMRT?
What are the four main pillars of this body of knowledge?
What is the goal of CMRT?
And much more!

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173-What is ICML55 with Jim Fitch

What is ICML55 with Jim Fitch

Lubrication is one of the fundamental things that needs to be taken care of if you want your machines healthy. There’s a lot to learn from the leading organizations in order to have good lubrication programs. The organizations looking to get started in the field can take information from different platforms and online media. One of such resources is International Council of Machine Lubrication. ICML55 is a standard that originated from the concept of asset management standard ISO55000. There was a need to have a standard lubrication guide that will allow you to have a sustainable lubrication program with best practices incorporated in it.

In this episode, we covered:

What is ICML55?
Why is lubrication an important factor in machine maintenance?
What are the basics that you need to have sustainable lubrication?
And much more!

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172-Key Performance Influencer with Bill Leahy

Key Performance Influencer with Bill Leahy

What does a KPI mean to you? Is it just a performance measurement tool to you? Is it a metrics that you have developed to see how your systems are doing? A KPI is all of these things but much more than that. A KPI is an organizational goal that you have to achieve. When you have smaller key performance Influencer in place to drive people’s behavior towards achieving a larger organizational goal, that’s when a KPI becomes effective. So, we are using our key performance influencers—any incentives or benefits that would keep the employees motivated—to achieve our performance goals on a day to day basis which ultimately leads to achieving all the KPIs an organizations might have set in.

In this episode, we covered:

What exactly is KPI?
How can you utilize KPI efficiently?
What is the purpose of KPI and how can it help your organization?
And much more!

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171-Decision Making with Rob

Decision Making with Rob

Decision making is a major part of maintenance and reliability. The engineers have to make decisions all the time regarding assets, budgets, and risk analysis. There are some decisions that don’t really have serious consequences but when it comes to asset management, every decision is important. They need to be economical and there should be a good balance between cost, risk, and asset performance. Most of the time, the managers are making all the decisions and they either do it based on their experience or they just go with their gut feeling.

In this episode, we covered:

Find out why every decision is important
How can you make a sound decision?
Why should organizations need to always be thinking long-term?
And much more!

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170-PMO with Rick Clonan

PMO with Rick Clonan

PMO is a process where you make efficient use of your PMs to understand the operating context of your assets in a better way. Once you have identified your critical assets, you can plan your PMs accordingly. These routine PMs should be designed in a way that they serve the purpose that you want from your assets. It is not just about reducing number of PMs, it is about finding failures and mitigating them. Our primary focus should be to make the PMs, more effective and then we can focus on the efficiency as well.

In this episode, we covered:

What is PMO?
Learn how you can define your critical assets so you can eliminate the bad factors!
Why should there be a team dedicated to carry out PMO activities?
And much more!

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