Threat Management: The Missing Piece in Reliability Programs
Threat Management is a structured approach for identifying, prioritizing, and addressing early reliability risks before they escalate into failures. It focuses on small, observable issues that traditional reliability tools may overlook.
Key takeaways
- Threat Management identifies small, early reliability risks before failure occurs.
- Many reliability issues persist because early signals lack a tracking process.
- A structured program prioritizes threats using consistent risk scoring.
- Ownership and follow-through prevent known issues from recurring.
Why do the same reliability problems keep coming back?
Let’s face it: we’ve all seen the same piece of equipment fail more than once. Maybe it’s the pump that keeps tripping or the motor that never quite sounds right. It could be the instrument that always needs a recalibration. You fix it, watch it run, and then a few weeks later, it’s back on your radar. Sound familiar?
Most plants already have solid reliability tools in place. Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) are standard practices in many facilities. So why do these same problems keep showing up? One reason is that even the best systems can miss something important: the early signs of small changes that may lead to reduced reliability. That’s where Threat Management comes in.
What is Threat Management?
Threat Management is a structured way to capture potential problems before they turn into actual failures. It’s what happens when you take the small concerns seriously – not the emergencies or major shutdowns, but rather the leaks that show up during inspections, the unusual vibration someone notes on rounds, the piece of equipment that’s limping through operation but hasn’t failed yet.
Threat Management gives these early signals a voice and a plan to address them before they escalate. It moves teams from being reactive to being proactive. And in the world of reliability, that shift marks a turning point.
Why do early reliability risks get missed in day-to-day operations?
People on site usually know what the problems are. Operators mention them in shift change or log them in their shift rounds reports. Inspectors flag them during walkdowns. Engineers see the patterns in the data, but without a clear process, these insights often stay hidden in notebooks, emails, or hallway conversations.
This happens regularly simply because the daily pace of plant life is more conducive to reactive rather than proactive behavior. Without a structure, threats get lost in the shuffle. Then they show up again, most of the time with more significant consequences. Threat Management fills that gap. It gives teams a framework to focus on identifying and addressing these issues early, before they escalate into reliability, safety, or operational problems.
A good motto to go by is “find small, fix small,” which refers to addressing threats while they’re still manageable instead of after they grow into larger failures.
How is a Threat Management program typically built?
Building a strong Threat Management program doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does require structure and consistency. Successful programs share a few common elements that help teams capture early warning signs and take prompt action. Here’s how the process typically works:
- Identify the threat. This starts with awareness. Threats can come from anywhere: field observations, operator feedback, inspection findings, data trends. The key is to encourage people to speak up and give them a place to put that information.
- Evaluate the risk: Once a threat is identified, it needs to be assessed. How bad could it be if it goes unaddressed or delayed? How likely is it to happen? Many programs use a risk matrix that covers people, assets, environment, and reputation. The goal is to prioritize fairly and consistently.
- Focus on what matters most. Not every threat is urgent, and not every issue needs immediate action. But the ones that do need to rise to the top. Effective programs maintain a short, focused list of top threats that guides team discussions and resource planning.
- Assign a RAM score. Each threat is assigned a RAM (Risk Assessment Matrix) score to consistently capture both likelihood and consequence across people, assets, environment, and reputation. This scoring provides a common language for risk, supports objective prioritization, and helps teams clearly understand which threats require immediate attention versus those that can be managed over time.
- Assign ownership and create a plan. Each threat is assigned to a single person who owns it. That person defines what needs to be done and coordinates the response, then tracks progress. This keeps things from falling through the cracks.
- Implement interim mitigation and monitoring when needed. Not all threats can be permanently resolved right away, especially when the final solution requires a turnaround, shutdown, or larger capital project. In these situations, interim mitigation plans are put in place to manage risk in the meantime. This can include increased inspection frequency, temporary operating limits, additional monitoring, or short-term safeguards. The goal is to keep the risk visible and controlled until a long-term solution can be implemented.
- Close the loop. Threats are only closed when the solution has been implemented and proven effective. Strong programs avoid partial fixes or assumptions. Clear documentation and confirmation ensure lessons are learned and similar issues are prevented in the future.
How can teams more easily track and manage reliability threats?
To support this work, Becht has developed a proprietary Threat Management Tool. It’s a platform that allows teams to log threats, assess risk, assign owners, track actions, and create dashboards. It fits into existing workflows and helps make threat management part of daily business, not just an extra task. Most importantly, the tool brings visibility to issues so that leaders can understand where risks exist. Teams can see their progress, and no one has to wonder whether an issue is being tracked or forgotten.
Why does Threat Management matter now?
Today’s plant operations and availability are under pressure as aging equipment, tighter budgets, and higher expectations become the norm. Sites need to do more with less and to make sure that reliability and availability don’t suffer. Threat Management is a practical, powerful tool to help plants stay ahead of problems instead of constantly chasing them. It brings discipline to the little things that often go overlooked and later turn into much larger issues if left unresolved too long. It also builds confidence: if people know that their concerns are heard, logged, and acted on, engagement goes up. When teams close threats effectively, reliability improves for the long haul because leadership has real-time visibility into risk and can make better decisions.
Where can I find expert support for Threat Management?
Every plant faces problems, big and small. The difference between good and great operations often comes down to how early you identify and address these problems. Becht’s Threat Management Program can help you respond sooner, plan smarter, and drive better results. With practical experience and proven tools, we help sites put Threat Management into action. If your team is ready to move from reacting to leading, we’re ready to help.
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