- What can be done wrong in each process step;
- Severity: what the possible consequences of those errors may be, the possible causes of those errors and how often those causes occur;
- Prevention: the prevention systems to not make the error;
- Detection: how the errors and/or causes are discovered and how effective the checks are.
FMEA's & Risk Reduction
A Failure Mode and Effect Analysis documented in a structured way:
RPN: Risk Priority Number = SxOxD
- By assigning a score from 1 to 10 to the seriousness of the error (S), to the frequency of occurrence (O) and to the probability of detection (D), an objective ranking of the risks in the process can be drawn up. The higher these scores, the higher the risk.
Key benefits of an FMEA
- The RPN value is an excellent guide to prioritize investments and improvements.
- A living and up-to-date FMEA bundles all experiences and knowledge of the processes (lessons learned).
- An FMEA is an excellent tool for internal training and education.
- An FMEA is a detailed source of information for Problem Solving exercises.
- Drawing up and maintaining FMEA requires teamwork and thus promotes internal communication and relationships.