Root Cause Analysis Data Model

The Root Cause Analysis data model uses families to represent the various components of an RCA, as defined by the standard, accepted PROACT for RCA methodology. GE Digital APM leverages its fundamental entity and relationship family infrastructure to store data related to an RCA.

Each RCA is represented at the root level by an RCA. The RCA can be linked to an RCA Event through the RCA Relationship. RCA Events can, in turn, be linked to RCA Failure Modes, RCA Sequence Nodes, and so on for all components of the RCA. Together, the RCA and all the records that are linked to it, either directly or indirectly, make up the Root Cause Analysis.

The following image shows the entity families and relationship families that are used to create an RCA.

Note: In the diagram, boxes represent entity families and arrows represent relationship families that are configured in the baseline database. You can determine the direction of the each relationship definition from the direction of the arrow head: the box from which the arrow originates is the predecessor, and the box to which the arrow head points is the successor.

Note: RCA Recommendations can be linked to any Equipment and any Functional Location. They may or may not be the same Equipment or Functional Locations that are linked to the RCA.

The Root Cause Analysis Best Practice specifies that you will create RCA Analyses either for equipment or functional locations. Either option may be valid, depending on the analysis. Throughout the RCA documentation, we assume that you are following the GE Digital APM best practice and storing your equipment and functional location information in Equipment and Functional Location records. Additionally, we assume that you are following the RCA Best Practice and linking your RCA records to either Equipment or Functional Location records.

In addition to the relationships that appear in this image, records in the following families can be linked to records in the RCA Reference Document family through a relationship definition on the Has Reference Documents family:

RCA Analysis
RCA Critical Success Factor
RCA Event
RCA Failure Mode
RCA Preserve Item
RCA Recommendation
RCA Team Member
RCA Tracking Item
RCA Verification

Additionally, the following families are used by the RCA module but are not related to any other family in the data model:

The RCA Image family is used to display an image of the Event Diagram and the Logic Tree in the Comprehensive Analysis Report.
The Alert family is used to send alert emails.