Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
A listing in reverse chronological order of articles by:
Many companies experience challenges during product development. Can Design of Experiments (DOE) help in that complicated set of activities? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided. [Read more…]
As of the date of this note, the Inside FMEA series of articles has completed the “Introduction to FMEA Series,” and is nearly complete with the “FMEA Fundamentals Series.”
This year, Inside FMEA articles will continue on a monthly basis. Each article will be posted for readers on the 1st day of the month.
As soon as the “FMEA Fundamentals Series” is completed, articles will continue with the “FMEA Preparation Series,” followed by the “FMEA Facilitation Series” and the “FMEA Special Topics Series.”
Readers of my book, Effective FMEAs, will continue to find the content of the Inside FMEA articles consistent with the concepts in the book.
It is my sincere desire that each and every person who reads Inside FMEA articles will discover the articles enjoyable to read and experience improved success in FMEA applications. As I say to readers of my book, “best wishes for effective FMEAs.”
Carl S. Carlson
The analysis of telematics data with two or more parameters is a complex process. The analysis of multiple parameters using contour plots is a powerful tool since a lot of information is captured in the graphics.
The best results come from a team effort. For engineering data, the team may consist of the design/development engineers, a programmer, and a reliability engineer or a statistician. The following is an analysis of engine speed, engine torque, and the transmission gear state to describe the process.
We have executed and coached many projects. What benefit did they provide? Where can we help within the lifecycle of a project? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the case study topic provided. [Read more…]
What if an FMEA recommended action is redundant with the Design Controls? A reader makes this observation about an earlier article, and asks the question about the value of redundancy in FMEA.
“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”
Eugene Ionesco
There are many approaches to managing projects. What are the keys? How can we ensure our critical project is going to meet schedule and customer needs? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.
Is action always required on high-severity issues? What if severity is high (9 or 10 on a severity scale of 1 to 10), and the occurrence and detection rankings are both low? Is action still required? This problem, as well as a challenging problem involving fail-safe strategies, are the subject of this problem-solution article.
We do not want tools that waste our time. How do we know which tool can create benefit for us? Here are a few tools worth using on most projects. Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.
Have you ever been in an FMEA meeting where the team did not agree on the severity rating? Understanding and correctly applying severity risk is an important part of FMEA application. This article discusses the subject of severity risk, including examples for design and process FMEAs, and offers a tip on what to do when the team does not agree on the severity risk rating.
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
Henry Ford
All companies train their people. How can you get what you need? What is the most effective approach? Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.
A company sees a need for training. They set up a class agenda and bring in an instructor. The ratings were good, but no one is using the new information so no value was created. How can they achieve training success and make it stick? This video shows our approach to make it more beneficial and create company value.
A reader is having difficulty seeing the difference between a detection control and a recommended action, and sees them as interchangeable. This has repercussions for the linkage between the Design FMEA and Design Verification Plan, and is the subject of this FMEA Q and A article.
“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.”
Thomas Berger [Read more…]
Every project begins wanting to impress the customer, complete on time and perform smoothly. However, this tends to erode away quickly and the optimization objectives are saved for the next project or next phase.
But you can achieve it now!
Consider the recommended action “Review results of XYZ test to confirm requirements are achieved.” Is this a good FMEA recommended action to address a high-risk issue? Is it sufficient? Challenge your FMEA knowledge by solving this problem and other problems presented in this article.
Design of Experiments (DOE) is often only taught as a series of tools. Instead, we have used it as a tool in the Decision-Making Process which enhances implementation.
Each section below contains a 2-minute video to expand on the topic provided.
The setup and project definition are important for future success. Often, people want to jump to a solution. Then, they can start implementation and testing. Briefly pulling back to define the goal and appropriate outputs will help tremendously.
Consider these questions: How many recommendations are needed to address the root cause of a high-risk problem? If the FMEA team is addressing an issue with high-severity and high-occurrence ratings, is it usual to have a single recommended action to reduce risk? Why not? Read on, to learn the essential elements of FMEA recommended actions, and answers to this questions.
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”
Leonardo da Vinci