Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Guide to Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

What is Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)?

FMEA is a systematic, proactive method for evaluating a process to identify where and how it might fail, and to assess the relative impact of different failures to identify parts of the process that need improvement.

Why FMEA is Important

FMEA is crucial in risk management because it:
- Helps identify potential failures before they occur
- Prioritizes risks based on severity, occurrence, and detection
- Provides a structured approach to implementing preventive actions
- Reduces costs by addressing issues early in development
- Enhances safety and reliability of processes, products, or services
- Supports regulatory compliance in many industries

How FMEA Works

The FMEA process typically follows these steps:

1. Select the process or product to analyze

2. Assemble a cross-functional team with relevant expertise

3. Define the scope and boundaries of the analysis

4. Identify potential failure modes - ways in which each component might fail

5. Determine potential effects of each failure mode

6. Assign severity ratings (S) - typically on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is most severe

7. Identify potential causes for each failure mode

8. Assign occurrence ratings (O) - likelihood of occurrence on a scale of 1-10

9. Identify current controls to detect or prevent failures

10. Assign detection ratings (D) - ability to detect failure before impact on a scale of 1-10 (where 10 means unlikely to detect)

11. Calculate Risk Priority Numbers (RPN) by multiplying S × O × D

12. Prioritize failure modes with highest RPNs

13. Develop action plans to reduce or eliminate high-priority risks

14. Implement actions and track results

15. Recalculate RPNs after implementing improvements

Types of FMEA

- Design FMEA: Focuses on product design failures
- Process FMEA: Analyzes manufacturing or service process failures
- System FMEA: Examines failures in complex systems with multiple components
- Service FMEA: Looks at failures in service delivery processes

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on FMEA

1. Know the formula: RPN = Severity × Occurrence × Detection

2. Understand the scales: Typically 1-10 for each factor, where higher numbers mean higher risk for severity and occurrence, but for detection, higher numbers mean harder to detect (worse)

3. Remember key terminology:
- Failure Mode: How something might fail
- Effect: Impact or consequence of the failure
- Cause: Root reason behind the failure
- Controls: Measures to detect or prevent failure
- RPN: Risk Priority Number

4. Prioritization questions: Items with highest RPNs get highest priority for corrective action

5. Action focus: FMEA is about taking preventive actions, not just analyzing

6. Team approach: FMEA requires cross-functional expertise

7. For calculation questions: Pay attention to the rating scales provided in the question

8. Watch for application contexts: Know differences between Design FMEA and Process FMEA

9. Sequential understanding: Know the correct order of FMEA steps

10. Look for preventive actions: Questions often ask about appropriate risk responses

Common Exam Question Types:

- Calculating RPNs given severity, occurrence, and detection ratings
- Identifying which failure modes should be addressed first
- Determining appropriate controls for specific failure modes
- Selecting the correct step in the FMEA process for a given scenario
- Differentiating between types of FMEA

Remember that FMEA is valued as a preventive approach to risk management, and questions will often emphasize its proactive nature rather than reactive problem-solving.