This standard provides the basis for developing the performance-based fault tree analysis (FTA) to review and analytically examine a system or equipment in such a way as to emphasize the lower-level fault occurrences that directly or indirectly contribute to the system-level fault or undesired event. The requirements for contractors, planning and reporting needs, and analytical tools are established. The linkage of this standard to the other standards in the new family of performance-based reliability and maintainability (R&M) standards is described, and a large number of keyword data element descriptions (DED) for use in automating the FTA process are provided.