---
title: "RCM Analysis - Strategy Decision (Step 3)"
slug: "rcm-analysis-strategy-decision"
description: "Explore the Strategy Decision Tree for maintenance strategies, addressing failure prediction and prevention in reliability-centered maintenance."
tags: ["Analysis", "RCM"]
updated: 2026-10-27T23:11:57Z
published: 2026-10-27T23:11:57Z
canonical: "ims-handbook.cenosco.com/rcm-analysis-strategy-decision"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ims-handbook.cenosco.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# RCM Analysis - Strategy Decision (Step 3)

This step covers the Strategy Decision in the RCM Analysis guided workflow.

Step 3 addresses the first part of RCM question six of the [seven RCM questions](/v414/docs/starting-an-rcm-analysis#rcm-questions-addressed-during-the-analysis): *What can be done to predict or prevent each failure?* Specifically, it covers the maintenance strategy. The remaining elements of this question — maintenance tasks, MEI economics, and risk reduction — are addressed in subsequent steps.

The **Strategy Decision Tree** determines the appropriate maintenance strategy for each Failure Mode. To work through the tree, you need to know whether the Failure Mode is age-related and whether the failure is revealed. This typically requires input from a maintenance craftsperson and a reliability engineer. The possible outcomes are:

- Condition-Based Maintenance
- Time-Based Maintenance
- No Scheduled Maintenance

The **Strategy Decision Tree** involves four primary questions, each with sub-questions:

1. **Is it possible to define a clear potential failure condition?** Sub-questions: What is that failure condition? What is the P-F interval, and is it reasonably consistent? Can the task be performed at intervals shorter than the P-F interval? Is the residual risk acceptable?

- If yes: Determine a technically feasible on-condition task and enter the P-F interval value.

> [!NOTE]
> Note
> 
> Click the *Interval* button to change the PF interval frequency.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e492a0e0-a4ba-4aca-8fc6-76b95f91fdf3/Images/Documentation/interval.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-28T15%3A10%3A29Z&se=2026-10-28T16%3A10%3A29Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=g5XL56dYzP7fv%2B06pQgtQhNNhn5WOZ3f%2ByZVVyCF6Xw%3D)

- If no: Continue to the next question.

1. **Is there an age at which the conditional probability of failure increases rapidly?** Sub-questions: What is that age? Will a restoration or discard task restore original functionality? Is the residual risk acceptable?

- If yes: Determine a technically feasible scheduled restoration or discard task and enter a Safe Lifetime value.
- If no: Continue to the next question.

1. **Is the loss of function caused by this Failure Mode on its own, hidden?**

- If yes: Is it possible to check whether the item has failed? Is it practical to perform the task at the required intervals? Does the task secure sufficient availability to reduce the probability of a multiple failure to a tolerable level?
  - If yes: Determine a scheduled failure finding task that is technically feasible.
  - If no: Continue to the next question.
- If no: Continue to the next question.

1. **Is the risk of failure acceptable?**
  - If yes: Apply a No Scheduled Maintenance strategy (Run to Failure).
  - If no: Redesign may be required.

Together with the information held in [Failure Effects](/v414/docs/rcm-analysis-failure-effects), these answers drive the maintenance task selection in the next step.

Once you are done, click **Maintenance Task** to continue to the [next guided step](/v414/docs/rcm-analysis-maintenance-tasks).

If the triggering questions are not needed and the strategy result is already known, you can bypass the decision tree by selecting **Overwrite strategy result**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e492a0e0-a4ba-4aca-8fc6-76b95f91fdf3/Images/Documentation/overwrite_strategy.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-28T15%3A10%3A29Z&se=2026-10-28T16%3A10%3A29Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=g5XL56dYzP7fv%2B06pQgtQhNNhn5WOZ3f%2ByZVVyCF6Xw%3D)

### Instruction video

For a walkthrough of the guided steps, see [RCM Analysis Guided Steps - Episode 7](/v414/docs/rcm-tutorial-videos#rcm-analysis-guided-steps-episode-7).

Reliability Centered Maintenance

Maintenance Efficiency Index