Utilizing Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) as a Tool for Risk Management

Risk Management is one of the key areas of project management and is of increased importance in these volatile times to ensure successful completion of projects.

The various risk management alternatives available to a project manager in order to combat risk are

• Avoid Risk,
  
• Transfer Risk,
  
• Assume Risk or
  
• Prevent/Mitigate the risk.
  

In order to prevent or mitigate the risk, the manager makes use of such risk management tools.

Fault Tree Analysis is a risk management tool which takes undesirable events or faults and represents them in a tree like structure by a process of simple logic and graphical design. This helps us pinpoint the root causes or the lower level events which have resulted in this fault and thus enables us to take suitable actions to avoid or protect against it.

Please read this article to view the Steps involved in Risk Management.

A specific approach using Fault Tree Analysis is described below.

1) Define the undesirable events or failure in the project

2) Obtain a thorough understanding of the project

3) Construct the fault tree

4) Evaluate the fault tree and identify corrective measures to be taken

5) Implement these measures in order to protect against the hazards

The below diagram represents a sample fault tree analysis

click to enlarge

Here Sub-system A is the entire system which is being evaluated.

The green cells indicate a scenario where the presence of either cause will result in a fault. Either 1 or 2 will result in a fault. (OR Logic)

The orange cells indicate a scenario where the presence of all causes will result in a fault. (AND Logic)

All 3 causes 3, 4 and 5 need to present to result in a fault.

Managing uncertainty in projects is one of the tasks which most project managers overlook, and end-up paying a very high price at a later point in time.

A planned approach using Risk Management Tools such as Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) or FMEA (Failure Modes & Effect Analysis) can help avoid such pitfalls in project management.

An e-Book on Fault Tree Analysis can be obtained here.

A real life example of Risk Management using Fault Tree Analysis can be viewed here.