Common FMEA Confusions
Abstract
Carl and Fred discuss common FMEA confusions that come up from time to time. These are condensed from questions that Carl gets from “Inside FMEA” readers.
Key Points
Join Carl and Fred as they discuss common FMEA misunderstandings, and how to simplify the concepts.
Topics include:
- Is it a Failure Mode, Effect of Cause? What’s the difference, and how can you be sure?
- Is a certain word automatically a Failure Mode, Effect or Cause?
- The answer depends on the context within the FMEA. Always begin with the Item and Function.
- Bucket example . . .
- Is a “leak” a Failure Mode, Effect of Cause? The answer is that it can be any of those elements.
- What is difference between Cause and Failure Mechanism?
- For high-risk issues, always take to root cause and failure mechanism.
- Brainstorming Failure Modes; do you have to enter all of them into the FMEA worksheet?
- Simple rule for what to enter in the FMEA worksheet, and what can be left out.
- Every person on a design team, and an FMEA team, has potential for blind spots.
- How to ensure the FMEA is not hindered by blind spots.
- Application of thought-starter questions to stimulate FMEA team discussion and bypass confusions.
- If you are having a problem with one part of an FMEA, go earlier. It usually means an earlier part of the FMEA was not we3ll defined.
- Stay focused on fundamentals. The value is often in the discussion.
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Show Notes
Thanks Carl and Fred for an insightful discussion, which I found incredibly valuable.
I have a question regarding functions, specifically in the context of handling complex technologies. One challenge I’ve encountered involves failure cause identification when dealing with high-level functions that encompass multiple sub-functions. The difficulty arises from the sheer breadth of these functions, making it challenging to list potential causes due to the diverse range of sub-functions they cover.
I am curious about your thoughts on managing this situation effectively. Is functional decomposition a crucial step in this process? If so, how deep should we delve into breaking down these main functions to ensure a comprehensive analysis?
I appreciate your feedback and expertise.