Managing Time

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent, and not enough time on what is important.” – Steven Covey

FMEAs take time and cost money. If time is wasted, FMEAs will be unsupported and ineffective.

In this article, I’ll lay out some tips to keep FMEA in-meeting time as short as possible, without reducing the quality of results. Many of these tips are based on lessons learned from doing FMEAs the wrong way. This is not a complete list. I’m sure you have other lessons learned to save time, and would love to hear from you.

Tips to shorten FMEA time

1. Make sure the FMEA team fully understands the definitions and concepts of FMEAs.
There is nothing more important than understanding and using correct definitions and concepts. Confusion about FMEA concepts can greatly extend the time to complete FMEAs.

For more information, see FMEA Fundamental Series of articles

2. Improve FMEA facilitation skills.
Well facilitated FMEA meetings stay focused on higher-risk issues, involve the team in a balanced way and get the best results in the least amount of time.

For more information, see FMEA Facilitation Series of articles

3. Use preliminary Risk Assessment to narrow down where to use FMEA tool.
I would rather do fewer FMEAs on the highest risk items than poor FMEAs on all items. Doing FMEAs on low-risk items can exhaust teams and water down the results.

For more information, see article Preliminary Risk Assessment

4. Prioritize functions to focus on the most important ones first.
Not all functions are equal in importance. By prioritizing functions, the team stays focused on what matters most, and get faster and better results.

For more information, see article Identifying and Prioritizing FMEA Functions

5. Consider use of “Generic” FMEAs.
When there are multiple product variants, a “generic” FMEA can be a useful repository for the most common failures, including field failures, and save considerable time when doing FMEAs on updated products.

For more information, see article FMEA Q and A – Application of Generic FMEAs

6. Limit in-meeting discussion to areas of concern.
As long as FMEA meetings have the right cross-functional team participation, limit discussion to areas of concern. If no one from a properly constituted team is concerned about an issue, you do not need to take it any further. If one person is concerned, ensure it is discussed.

For more information, see article Application Tip – Begin with Concerns 

7. Make good use of past FMEAs and field data.
Proper use of past FMEAs and field data can provide baseline information that reduces the overall time in the FMEA.

For more information, see article Gathering Information 

8. Do a thorough job of pre-meeting preparation.
When I teach FMEA, I use the analogy of painting a room. What percent of the total time is preparation, such as selecting the right paint, cleaning and spackling the walls, taping the areas that will not be painted, etc. Proper preparation is essential to excellent FMEA results in reasonable time.

For more information, see FMEA Preparation Series 

9. Control in-meeting discussion.
The number one concern of students who have received training in FMEA facilitation is how to control discussion. This skill can be practiced and improved.

For more information, see article Facilitation Skill #2: Controlling Discussion 

10. Consider using the SWIM method: Stimulate discussion, Watch what is being said, Intervene and enter correct info in worksheet, and Move on.
SWIM is an acronym, meant to help remember the sequence of discussion during an FMEA. The key is to move on to the next portion of the FMEA when the team has consensus on viable information.

11. Use Post-It Notes™ when brainstorming for new ideas.
I begin any new FMEA by handing out “yellow stickies” to all FMEA participants, and asking them to write down their primary concerns about the item being analyzed. Those notes go up on a board and are used to ensure nothing is missed in the analysis.

For more information, see article Application Tip – Begin with Concerns

12. Prevent “scope creep” by making the scope visible and well defined.
Always begin a Design FMEA with a proper FMEA Block Diagram, or Process Flow Diagram for a Process FMEA.

For more information, see article Making the FMEA Scope Visible

13. Use selected pre-population of FMEA worksheet, taking care to maintain FMEA integrity.
I used to think nothing in the FMEA worksheet can be prepopulated. Experience has taught me that selected portions of the FMEA can be prepopulated, and this can save time.

For more information, see article Discussing the Controversial Subject of FMEA Prepopulation

Next Article

The next article is called “To Scribe or Not to Scribe.” One of the key attributes of an excellent facilitator is the ability to keep eyes on the team. Assigning the role of “scribe,” for entering FMEA entries, and making them visible to the team, can be a significant help.