Barrier Analysis is a preventive method that is used by several organizations to prevent the target from hazards with help of barriers. Here, the target can be a person, object, product, etc. that is needed to be protected, a hazard is any harmful energy source that affects the target in a negative way, and a barrier is a prevention method present between hazard and the target to prevent the target from hazard’s effect. That is why it is also known as Target-Hazard-Barrier Analysis.
After barrier analysis, one needs to determine solutions by analyzing each barrier and identify cause along with its effect. Barrier Analysis, as the name suggests, is an effective prevention technique that is used to prevent the target from the effects of hazards by analyzing pathways through which hazard can affect the target. It is simply a tool used with various other methods to know and understand why a failure happened and how it can be prevented. Some of the questions that should be addressed for every barrier are given below –
- Barrier worked properly or not under normal operating conditions?
- Barrier works properly under any failure conditions or not?
- Barrier reduced severity or harmfulness effect of hazard or not?
- Design of barrier is acceptable in quality and satisfactory or not?
- Barrier was developed to fulfill desired specification or not?
- Barrier was maintained and handled properly or not?
- Barrier provided desired outcome and result or not?
When to use it?
- When one wants to identify the root cause of the reduction in data quality along with data lineage i.e. journey of data from its creation until its transformation.
- When one wants to create a list of data sources and data lineage to maintain data quality.
- When one to identify the main reasons or countermeasures that failed and does not able to prevent the target and undesired change.
Tips to perform Barrier Analysis :
- One needs to review the results of barrier analysis independently and not with help of others.
- Barrier analysis can not be effective if it is used alone. It cannot be helpful in determining root causes it is used solely. But it is very effective if used with other techniques.
How does it help?
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Analysis :
Barrier provides a very effective prevention method and an effective analysis of barriers. It evaluates and assesses barriers. After analysis, then it prioritizes barriers on basis of its impact/harm and effort needed. Then identify barrier which is more effective. -
Removal :
After analyzing barriers works with management simply to remove prioritized barriers on basis of their harm and effort. Then prevent barriers from returning back through various internal actions and fully focused barrier removal activity.