Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) Practice Exam

Which analysis identifies critical assets that should be prioritized for maintenance?

1. Ansoff Matrix

2. Pareto analysis

3. Cost-benefit analysis

4. Value stream mapping

The correct answer is: Pareto analysis

Pareto analysis is a technique that focuses on identifying the most significant factors in a dataset. In the context of maintenance and reliability, this analysis is used to pinpoint the critical assets that contribute most to operational deficiencies, failures, or higher maintenance costs. The fundamental principle behind Pareto analysis is the 80/20 rule, which suggests that roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. By applying Pareto analysis to maintenance management, organizations can discover which assets are responsible for the majority of maintenance issues. This allows management to prioritize which assets need immediate attention and resource allocation to improve reliability and performance. In this way, maintenance efforts can be concentrated where they will have the greatest impact on overall performance and cost efficiency. The other options, while useful in their own contexts, do not specifically focus on identifying critical assets for prioritization in maintenance. The Ansoff Matrix is a strategic tool for identifying growth opportunities, cost-benefit analysis assesses the economic viability of projects, and value stream mapping is primarily used for analyzing processes and eliminating waste rather than prioritizing maintenance actions.