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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

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Facilitation Skill # 5 – Active Listening

Facilitation Skill # 5 – Active Listening

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” – Stephen Covey

A good listener tries to understand thoroughly what the other person is saying. In the end the listener may disagree sharply. However, before voicing disagreement, the active listener wants to know exactly what the other person is saying and why. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Facilitation Skill # 4 – Asking Thought-starter Questions

Facilitation Skill # 4 – Asking Thought-starter Questions

“A thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform us.” – Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

One of my favorite FMEA facilitation techniques, and one that can significantly enhance meaningful participation from FMEA team members, is called “Asking Thought-starter Questions.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Facilitation Skill #3: Asking Probing Questions

Facilitation Skill #3: Asking Probing Questions

FMEA facilitators can generate deep discussion and stimulate creative ideas by asking probing questions.

“A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of idea.” – John Ciardi

The Oxford English dictionary defines “probe” as “seek to uncover information about something.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques Tagged With: FMEA Facilitation

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Facilitation Skill #2: Controlling Discussion

Facilitation Skill #2: Controlling Discussion

Facilitation Skill # 2 – Controlling Discussion

“It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.” – Yogi Berra

Based on actual surveys of FMEA team leaders, the most common concern is how to control discussion during team meetings. This article will provide insight into this critical facilitation skill, and is a companion to the previous article in this series: Facilitation Skill #1: – Encouraging Participation.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Facilitation Skill # 1 – Encouraging Participation

Facilitation Skill # 1 – Encouraging Participation

Facilitation Skill # 1 – Encouraging Participation

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.” Henry David Thoreau

One of the most important skills in facilitating team meetings is to be able to encourage balanced participation by all team members.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Facilitating FMEAs

Facilitating FMEAs

“Team leadership is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results.” – Ifeanyi Onuoha

One of the key factors for successful application of FMEAs is skillful facilitation of FMEA teams. The skills needed for excellent facilitation are different from the skills needed to be a good FMEA team member. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques Tagged With: Facilitation, FMEA Facilitation

by Carl Carlson 2 Comments

Relationship between FMEA and Risk Management – Part 2

Relationship between FMEA and Risk Management – Part 2

FMEA has an important relationship with risk management. This article provides an example of this relationship.

The suggested sequence is to first read the article “Relationship between FMEA and Risk Management” to learn about the interactions between FMEA and Risk Management at a high level. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson 1 Comment

Relationship between FMEA and Risk Management

“If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.” – Neil Simon

FMEA and Risk Management are two distinct bodies of knowledge. This article explores some of the interactions between these two important methods. It is not intended to be a complete analysis of the similarities, differences, and linkages between FMEA and risk management. Rather, it is a high-level overview.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques Tagged With: FMEA, risk management

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Why FMEA Needs to be Team-Based

Why FMEA Needs to be Team-Based

“Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes

In the international FMEA community, one of the hot topics is how much of an FMEA can be automated versus how much needs to be team-based. Some experts say the future of FMEA requires an automated approach, as systems are getting more and more complex. Others say FMEA must always be grounded in a team of subject matter experts, narrowly focused on the highest priority issues.

In this article, I will share my thoughts on why FMEA needs to be team-based, and what elements can be prepopulated or automated.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Is There a Better Way Than RPN?

“Number rules the universe.” – Pythagoras

Risk Priority Number (RPN) . . . by definition, a single number that represents relative risk for prioritizing issues in an FMEA. Sounds simple. But, how well does it work in practice? And, is there a better way?

This article highlights shortcomings and concerns when using RPN in FMEA, and discusses an alternative. It is a companion article to “Prioritizing risk for corrective actions in an FMEA.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

How to Get Better Results with FMEAs, in Less Time

How to Get Better Results with FMEAs, in Less Time

“Time is money” – Benjamin Franklin

One of the most common complaints about FMEAs is that they can take a long time to do. This article presents solutions to this challenge.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

FMEA and Robust Design

FMEA and Robust Design

One of the most important concepts in designing for reliability is robust design. This article is a high-level overview of robust design and its relationship to FMEA.

“For the robust, an error is information.” Nassim Nicholas Taleb

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques Tagged With: Robust Design

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Hazard Analysis and FMEA

“The danger which is least expected soonest comes to us.” Voltaire

This article discusses the application of Hazard Analysis, why it is used, and the similarities and differences with FMEA.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson 4 Comments

Understanding Software FMEA

“My software never has bugs. It just develops random features.” Anonymous

More and more mechanical and electrical systems include software integration. The FMEA methodology applies very well to software as well as hardware. It is possible to include software functionality in the System FMEA as part of the functional descriptions. However, for complex software functionality such as embedded control systems, it may be useful to perform a separate software FMEA.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Legal Guidelines for FMEAs

Legal Guidelines for FMEAs

FMEAs are legal documents that support the demonstration of due care in product development. FMEA teams should ensure their worksheets are consistent with good legal practices for documents, and follow company legal guidelines.

“Common sense often makes good law.” William Orville Douglas, past Justice of the Supreme Court

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA, on Tools & Techniques

« Previous Page
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Articles by Carl Carlson
in the Inside FMEA series

Information about FMEA Icon

Inside FMEA can be visually represented by a large tree, with roots, a solid trunk, branches, and leaves.

– The roots of the tree represent the philosophy and guiding principles for effective FMEAs.
– The solid trunk of the tree represents the fundamentals for all FMEAs.
– The branches represent the various FMEA applications.
– The leaves represent the valuable outcomes of FMEAs.
– This is intended to convey that each of the various FMEA applications have the same fundamentals and philosophical roots.

 

For example, the roots of the tree can represent following philosophy and guiding principles for effective FMEAs, such as:

1. Correct procedure         2. Lessons learned
3. Trained team                 4. Focus on prevention
5. Integrated with DFR    6. Skilled facilitation
7. Management support

The tree trunk represents the fundamentals of FMEA. All types of FMEA share common fundamentals, and these are essential to successful FMEA applications.

The tree branches can include the different types of FMEAs, including:

1. System FMEA         2. Design FMEA
3. Process FMEA        4. DRBFM
5. Hazard Analysis     6. RCM or Maintenance FMEA
7. Software FMEA      8. Other types of FMEA

The leaves of the tree branches represent individual FMEA projects, with a wide variety of FMEA scopes and results.

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