Not All Fault Trees Are Useful

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is most useful for evaluating the design of active systems. FTA can often discover design errors and component / system interactions most other methodologies cannot Fault Tree Analysis is not beneficial for all systems More often than not, the Top Undesired Event is defined at too high a level or too broadly: Prevents the tree from getting down into the actual schematic-level of a system where the FTA will provide the most benefit Will cause a fault tree to become enormous, have little value, and require large outlay of engineering resources NOTE: I use TUE and Top Undesired Event only to describe the Very Bad & Unacceptable Thing at the very top of the fault tree. However, the fault tree top should not be named "TUE".

Causes management to discard a very useful analytical tool for future projects due to the misuse of the tool

www.fault-tree.net is: Allen Long & Clif Ericson

After a couple years, if numerous fault trees are performed which have little real value, managers all over MSFC are going to believe fault tree analysis is a bogus tool. Fault tree analysis could fall into disrepute and be abandoned as useless. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fault Tree Analysis can find problems in system design virtually no other method can. As with any tool fault tree analysis must be properly used to get the optimum benefit.