A conceptual model for assessing the impact of adopting condition-based maintenance

Abstract

Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) involves performing preventive maintenance actions based on evidence of need, rather than more traditional usage or time schedules. The promise of CBM is threefold: to extend the useful life and reduce the through-life cost of equipment, to improve fleet operational availability and mission effectiveness, and to reduce the maintenance burden. While well established in other military domains (particularly Air) and commercial domains, adoption of CBM in the military Land domain has been slow, but is now solidly underway. It is likely that the introduction of CBM to support Land-based military forces will require the adoption of new technological systems. When anticipating the effects of the adoption of such systems, it is important to consider the associated practices, processes and policies in addition to the technology itself. Quite frequently, factors other than inherent technological merits determine the success or failure of adopting new technologies. The continued successful adoption of Land CBM requires that not only the potential technology barriers be identified and addressed, but also that an appropriate understanding of the nuances of CBM adoption in the military Land domain be attained. Anecdotally, the two most frequently cited reasons for the slow pace of adoption of CBM within the Land domain are: 1) that different drivers for adoption exist in the Land domain than others such as the Air domain, and consequently 2) the difficulty of establishing a clear business case for adoption in the Land domain. The latter is made more difficult by the former. For example, in the Air domain, safety is the most critical factor and the argument for adoption is clear. Conversely, the consequences of catastrophic equipment failure may at times be perceived as less severe in the Land domain, and hence, the safety argument tends to lose its criticality while more pragmatic economic considerations rise in prominence. Drawing on a number of established methods and techniques, a general conceptual model has been developed for studying the impacts of the introduction of a new technology and identifying the key drivers and factors that need to be understood for its adoption to be successful. This paper presents the conceptual model developed to describe Land CBM and the initial results of a CBM 'Technology Impacts' study. The intention of this study is to obtain a comprehensive set of cost/benefit factors, clarify the drivers for adoption, identify the areas of most importance to stakeholders, and determine the critical issues that must be addressed in order for CBM to 'work' in the military Land domain. Following a literature review and a first round of Subject Matter Expert (SME) surveys, a 'causal impacts' map has been established. This map considers the impact of the factors that enable a CBM capability and the likely outcomes of adoption of CBM. In addition, the map captures economic and temporal considerations, impacts on stakeholder groups, and impacts on inputs to the development and delivery of military capability. This map will be further refined and analysed as the study progresses. A second round of SME surveys has been prepared that will elicit responses to refine the structure and content of the causal impacts map, and to clarify the position of participants on impacts where a conflict of opinion has been identified. The study outcomes will inform planning and investment decisions relating to the acquisition of new Land force equipment, and will contribute to collaborative research within The Technical Cooperation Program. Ultimately this study will form a basis for a 'value proposition' framework to assess the extent to which CBM should be adopted within the maintenance practices of Land-based military forces.