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Inside FMEA

With the Inside FMEA series of articles, my intention is to bring to life the subject of FMEA, and provide value to readers from all levels of experience.

Whether you are new to FMEA, or an FMEA expert, it is my sincere desire that each and every person who reads Inside FMEA articles will discover new insights about FMEA, and experience improved success in FMEA applications.

The first article, called “Welcome to Inside FMEA”, will introduce the series, and provide a glimpse of what is to come.

Readers are encouraged to contact me with any questions about FMEA, or feedback on Inside FMEA articles. Questions, feedback, and ideas for future articles can be sent to carl.carlson@effectivefmeas.com. I will personally respond to all questions and feedback.

I’m excited to bring this new series to Accendo, and hope you enjoy reading the articles, as much as I enjoy writing them. As I say to readers of my book, "best wishes for effective FMEAs."

Carl S. Carlson

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Gathering Information

Gathering Information

[Author note: This article is being published mid-month, and is part of the FMEA Preparation series. It was earlier written, but inadvertently omitted from publication, as part of this series.]

Gathering Information for FMEA Preparation

One of the most important steps in FMEA preparation is gathering all of the relevant documents and information. If this step is missed or done inadequately the FMEA meetings will be burdened with extra tasks related to missing information, the time of the subject-matter experts will be wasted, and the FMEA results potentially compromised.

“True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.” – Winston Churchill

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Using Process FMEAs to Improve Process Control Plans

Using Process FMEAs to Improve Process Control Plans

Using Process FMEAs to improve Process Control Plans

“Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding…” – Brian Greene

Properly done, Process FMEAs should improve manufacturing and assembly processes and corresponding process controls. This article describes how PFMEAs can be used to improve process controls, which are embodied in the Process Control Plan (PCP).

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Using Design FMEAs to improve Design Verification Plans

Using DFMEAs to improve Testing and Analysis

“I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.” Benjamin Franklin

Properly done, Design FMEAs should improve product designs and test plans. This article describes how DFMEAs can be used to improve testing and analysis, which are embodied in the Design Verification Plan (DVP).

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Application Tip – Begin with Concerns

Application Tip – Begin with Concerns

Stay Focused on Areas of Concern

“It is not possible for minds degraded by a host of trivial concerns to ever rise to anything great.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau

One of the most important elements of excellent FMEAs is to stay focused on areas of concern. What does this mean and how should it be applied?

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Action Strategies to Reduce Detection Risk

Action Strategies to Reduce Detection Risk

What strategies can reduce detection risk in an FMEA?

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu

The Oxford English dictionary defines “detection” as “discovery (of what is unknown or hidden); finding out.”

Reference the article Understanding FMEA Detection – Part 1 which discusses how Detection is defined and applied in FMEA.

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Action Strategies to Reduce Occurrence Risk

Action Strategies to Reduce Occurrence Risk

What strategies can be used to reduce occurrence risk in an FMEA?

“Luck is not chance, it’s toil; fortune’s expensive smile is earned.”
Emily Dickinson

The Oxford English dictionary defines “occurrence” as “the fact or frequency of something happening.”

Reference the article Understanding FMEA Occurrence Risk – Part 1 which discusses how Occurrence is defined and applied in FMEA.

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Action Strategies to Reduce Severity Risk

Action Strategies to Reduce Severity Risk

What strategies can be used to reduce severity risk in an FMEA?

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
Winston Churchill

strategy

The Oxford English dictionary defines “strategy” as “a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.”

Reference the article Understanding FMEA Severity Risk – Part 1 which discusses how Severity is defined and applied in FMEA.

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Preliminary Risk Assessment

Preliminary Risk Assessment

Selecting Which FMEAs to Do

FMEAs take time and cost money. They should be done when a certain level of risk can be effectively addressed by the FMEA procedure. Preliminary Risk Assessment is a procedure that uses company-determined criteria to select which FMEAs to do.

“The key is to schedule your priorities.” ― Steven Covey

[Read more…]

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Using the “Five Whys”

Using the “Five Whys”

Getting to Root Cause with “Five Whys”

There is no more important task in an FMEA than correctly identifying the “Cause.” Finding the root cause is the heart and soul of FMEA procedure. When you have the right cause, it opens the door to solutions. When you have the wrong cause, nothing gets accomplished.

By continuing to ask “why,” the team will be able to discover the progression of cause-and-effect relationships behind a problem and the root cause that is below the surface.

Wisdom begins in wonder – Socrates

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Use of Failure Mechanisms in FMEA

Use of Failure Mechanisms in FMEA

The Proper Application of Failure Mechanisms in FMEA

The rule is simple. For high-risk issues, the FMEA team needs to properly identify the cause(s) and associated failure mechanism(s). So, what exactly is a failure mechanism?

“Nature never breaks her own laws.” Leonardo da Vinci

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Discussing the Controversial Subject of FMEA Prepopulation

Discussing the Controversial Subject of FMEA Prepopulation

To Prepopulate or not to prepopulate, that is the question

By prepopulating the highest priority functions, along with other selected information, the FMEA team can focus their efforts on the most important functions, and minimize in-meeting time. This is the last step in FMEA preparation. However, there are specific limitations to FMEA prepopulation that must be understood and adhered to.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Abraham Lincoln

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Identifying and Prioritizing FMEA Functions

Identifying and Prioritizing FMEA Functions

Identifying and Prioritizing FMEA Functions – a Key Step in FMEA Preparation

“. . . not everything that can be counted counts” Albert Einstein

A key, but often missed, step in FMEA preparation is to identify and prioritize the functions that relate to the item being analyzed. These become candidate functions to be brought into the FMEA.

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Parameter Diagram and FMEA

Parameter Diagram and FMEA

Parameter Diagram and FMEA

When creating a robust design, there is probably no more important consideration than identifying the correct parameters and associated values. A robust design is insensitive to anticipated variation and P-Diagram visually shows the relationship between what the system is designed to do, the anticipated noises the system will encounter and the correct parameters to achieve the desired outcome. P-Diagram can be an essential input to FMEA.

“Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.” Albert Einstein

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Assembling the Correct FMEA Team.

Assembling the Correct FMEA Team.

Assembling the Correct FMEA Team.

Once you have identified the scope of the FMEA project, made the scope visible, it is time identify the FMEA team members. This article discusses the composition of the FMEA team, including why each member is needed, and the underlying reason for a cross-functional team.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

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Establishing FMEA Ground Rules and Assumptions

Establishing FMEA Ground Rules and Assumptions

Establishing FMEA Ground Rules and Assumptions

FMEA teams should agree to the ground rules that guide the analysis and the underlying assumptions that impact the entire FMEA. Failure to do so will add complexity and confusion to the resulting FMEA, and waste people’s time. Don’t miss this important step in FMEA preparation.

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” Isaac Asimov

Articles by Carl Carlson
in the Inside FMEA series