Failure Modes and Effects Analysis

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a functionality that is used to identify and resolve potential problems in a structure within the manufacturing process.

The FMEA uses occurrence and detection probabilities in conjunction with a severity rating to create a risk priority number (RPN). Failure modes with the highest RPN is considered first for improvement.

The types of FMEA are:

  • System FMEA: When the item is the top level system.
  • Design FMEA: When the item is a subsystem or a component.
  • Process FMEA: When the item relates to a manufacturing process.