Failure Analysis – Informational Needs

In failure analysis, the collection of information is a tedious but necessary step that determines success in the root cause analysis (RCA), simulation, and mitigation phases. In Article 2, the SME identified five areas of possible root causes for the SP failure, further explained in Table 1. 

Table 1 explains why all sources of information must be examined. Here are some takeaways:

• OWS should span product, process, human factors, application, and environment.

Some final thoughts.

• Collect documentation for the failed product and the accessories installed with it (if any).
• Collect information from all personnel who were part of the product’s “chain of custody”.
• Acquisition of 3^rd party information will be affected by confidentiality and data ownership.

TRUTH: FA success depends on the depth and breadth of the information collected.

1. The Big Picture
2. Scope
3. Information Needs
4. Root Cause Analysis
5. Failure Simulation
6. Mitigation