What is a pilot?

Here is an excerpt from the U.S Department of Defense (DoD) “CBM+” manual describing the military philosophy on pilots, which is appropriate in industrial maintenance.

Despite the rigor applied in controlled testing, there is no substitute for process testing in an operational environment. Pilot tests are a staple of DoD’s approach to implementation of hardware, software, and functional capabilities. Pilot testing in the field permits the initiative to perform in a real-world setting, influenced by random influences and subject to conditions not included or even foreseen in the test environment.

A pilot test at an operational location also permits the intended users to participate in the new process under their own terms and in a familiar setting. However, the pilot test environment should still be a more controlled than actual operations. The following are among the elements of control:

• A comprehensive test plan structure should be followed.
• Test activity and results should be tracked and fully documented, including operational user comments.
• Input and output test data should be screened, with out-of-tolerance data clearly identified.
• Human operators should be well trained with hands-on oversight by the implementation team.
• A specific pilot test timeframe and ending date should be established.

Complete records of the activity and results of the pilot test must be maintained to ensure technical capabilities work as intended, and that cause-and-effect actions result in desired outcomes. This means, when CBM+ capabilities are put in place, desired results (such as reduced mean down time, reduction of maintenance hours, reduced costs) actually occur. Documentation of pilot test results also helps assess whether the maintenance actions determined through reliability analysis are the most appropriate for the tested equipment or component.

The above DoD exerpt describes many of the characteristics of a LRCM project. Primarily LRCM is “people-centric”. Engineers, technicians, planners, and supervisors attack difficult fundamental RCM concepts in daily operation. These include the questions such as: “How much detail is enough but not too much?” and “How do we distinguish a suspension from a potential failure”.  Much discussion and stretching of the mind is required to arrive at concensus, but it is well worth while. The organization and its people will benefit from having worked out standardized yet optimal approaches to the management of maintenance information and knowledge.

© 2011, Murray Wiseman. All rights reserved.