Application of the sticky notes method for specifying RAMS

One of the fundamentals of the safety management process for specifying RAMS is hazard identification. The regulations defining RAMS requirements allow flexibility in the choice of methods for applying a systematic RAMS management process, including system safety assessments. In practice, however, it turns out that designers are usually limited to tried-and-true, popular and codified methods in the form of, among others, the brainstorming method (for hazard identification) or the FMEA method (for risk analysis). Companies rarely look for other opportunities for alternative approaches to the safety assessment which is usually due to time constraints, competency limitations and fear of change, which, however, can many times produce more effective results despite the original greater effort. A popular tool used in everyday life for remembering relevant facts are characteristic sticky notes stuck in visible places. Their intuitive use provided the inspiration for the sticky notes heuristic method. In view of the provisions referred to above, which do not impose specific methods to apply a systematic process of RAMS management, the article will present the possibilities of the sticky notes method for the purpose of identifying risks. The formulated purpose of the article, therefore, is to develop and demonstrate how to use the sticky notes method to identify risks in RAMS specification processes. The study is presented using the example of rail vehicle systems in the form of pneumatic boards.