Critical Thinking in Failure Analysis

Many people bemoan the lack of critical thinking in the workplace, yet there is no universally accepted definition of what it is. Here we will look at the differences between rational, creative, systems, and critical thinking, and see how they all work together, along with a knowledge of basic facts about the world, in both technical and human subject matters, and use of a methodological approach to decision making. Highlights of a specific method to approach and perform the failure analysis will be presented. Rational, creative, systems and critical thinking can can all be effectively used at specific stages of the failure analysis. Key steps in planning, performing, evaluating and reporting the results of a failure investigation benefit from specific aspects of these thinking skills.