Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) & Root Cause Failure Analysis

13 – 17 December 2026 | Riyadh | US$4,750

01 – 05 March 2027 | Abu Dhabi | US$4,750

Course Description

Maintenance strategies built around fixed schedules rather than actual failure risk tend to waste resources on low-risk equipment while under-protecting the assets that matter most. This course teaches Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) as a structured method for matching maintenance strategy to real failure risk, paired with Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) as the investigative discipline for understanding and eliminating recurring failures at their source.

Participants leave with both a methodology and the practical investigative skills to apply it, working through simulated failure scenarios that mirror the kinds of recurring problems most industrial facilities face.

This course will feature:

Structured coverage of RCM methodology and failure mode analysis
Hands-on Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) investigation practice
Decision frameworks for selecting the right maintenance strategy per failure mode
Case studies drawn from asset-heavy industrial operating environments
A capstone workshop translating RCFA findings into a corrective action plan

What are the Goals?

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

Apply Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) methodology to determine appropriate maintenance strategies

Differentiate between time-based, condition-based, and run-to-failure maintenance strategies

Conduct a structured Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) investigation

Translate RCFA findings into effective preventive and corrective actions

Identify failure modes and their operational consequences using structured failure analysis

Contribute to building a plant-wide reliability culture

How will this course be presented?

This course is highly interactive and focused on real-world application, including:

The course is delivered through instructor-led sessions covering RCM and RCFA methodology, reinforced by case studies that show how these frameworks play out in real industrial settings. Participants work through hands-on investigative exercises on simulated failure scenarios, applying structured root-cause techniques rather than just discussing them in the abstract, and group workshops give the chance to build maintenance strategy matrices and corrective action plans collaboratively. Open discussions throughout the week focus on the organizational and cultural barriers that often prevent reliability practices from sticking.

Who is this training course for?

This course is designed for professionals responsible for maintenance strategy and failure investigation across industrial assets.

Reliability Engineers
Maintenance Managers
Plant Engineers
Continuous Improvement Leads
Maintenance Planners and Supervisors
Operations personnel involved in equipment performance reviews

Duration: 5 Days

Course Content

Day 1: Introduction to Reliability-Centered Maintenance

Origins and principles of RCM methodology
Understanding functions, functional failures, and failure modes
Overview of failure mode and effects analysis
Criticality assessment for equipment and systems
Case study: RCM applied to a sample equipment system
Group discussion: current maintenance practices versus RCM principles

Day 2: Maintenance Strategy Selection

Comparing time-based, condition-based, and run-to-failure strategies
Decision logic for selecting the right strategy per failure mode
The role of condition monitoring in RCM-driven strategies
Cost and risk considerations in strategy selection
Workshop: building a maintenance strategy matrix for sample equipment
Discussion: aligning RCM outputs with existing maintenance plans

Day 3: Root Cause Failure Analysis Techniques

Structured RCFA methodology and investigation steps
Common root cause analysis tools and structured thinking approaches
Distinguishing symptoms from true root causes
Gathering and preserving evidence during failure investigations
Hands-on exercise: conducting an RCFA on a simulated failure scenario
Discussion: common pitfalls that lead to incomplete investigations

Day 4: From Investigation to Corrective Action

Translating RCFA findings into preventive and corrective actions
Prioritizing corrective actions by impact and feasibility
Tracking and verifying the effectiveness of implemented actions
Communicating findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders
Group exercise: drafting a corrective action plan from a case study
Discussion: closing the loop between RCFA and maintenance planning

Day 5: Building a Reliability Culture

Embedding RCM and RCFA into daily operational routines
Overcoming organizational resistance to structured reliability practices
Setting reliability KPIs and tracking long-term improvement
Aligning reliability initiatives with broader asset management goals
Action-planning workshop: participants draft a reliability improvement roadmap

Real Feedback From Our Clients

Marshal training trainers are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They led us through the course objectives and made sure we had a full understanding. They always keep the course interesting the entire way through and are always a joy to learn from. Thank you also, Karen, for assisting and arranging all our training requirements.

We have been using the MFSTC services for the last few years and believe they are one of the best supplier in the market. They have a professional team that provides you effective solution for your business needs in a prompt manner.

Their trainers are well qualified and carry out engaging and practical based trainings which is required to meet the industry standards.

We highly recommend recommending other customers to use their services.

We’ve been working with Marshal Training since 2018 and have always been impressed by their professionalism and training quality. Their programs—like Confined Space, First Aid, Fire Fighting, and H2S—have greatly improved safety and compliance across our teams. The trainers are knowledgeable and communicate effectively with our diverse workforce. A special thanks to Ms. Karen Angeles for her continued support, responsiveness, and smooth coordination. We truly value this partnership.

I recently completed the online scaffolding training with Marshal, and I was thoroughly impressed. The course was clear, professional, and straight to the point, covering all the essential topics without any unnecessary fluff. Marshal’s team demonstrated a high level of expertise and professionalism throughout. I would definitely recommend this training to anyone looking to strengthen their
knowledge and skills in scaffolding safety and best practices.