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…]

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

[Read more…]

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

[Read more…]

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

[Read more…]