FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a preventive tool: an interdisciplinary team systematically considers what can go wrong, why it can go wrong, and how severe the consequences would be — before the failure ever reaches production.

Each row of the FMEA table represents a combination of function → failure mode → effect → cause. For each cause, three 1–10 numbers are assigned: S (severity of the effect), O (occurrence of the cause), and D (detection). Their product is the Risk Priority Number (RPN) — the rough prioritisation figure.

• Design FMEA (DFMEA) — failures in the product design
• Process FMEA (PFMEA) — failures in manufacturing or business processes
• System FMEA — interplay of several components