Failure Mode and Effect Analysis ( FMEA ) and Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis ( FMECA )

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) and Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) are methodologies designed to identify potential failure modes for a product or process, to assess the risk associated with those failure modes, to rank the issues in terms of importance and to identify and carry out corrective actions to address the most serious concerns.

Although the purpose, terminology and other details can vary according to type (e.g., Process FMEA – PFMEA, Design FMEA – DFMEA, System FMEA, Product FMEA, FMECA, etc.), the basic methodology is similar for all. ReliaSoft’s XFMEA software facilitates data analysis and reporting for FMEAS, with configurable settings and predefined profiles for the major published standards.

FMEA / FMECA Overview

In general, Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis ( FMEA / FMECA ) requires the identification of the following basic information:

• Item(s)
• Function(s)
• Failure(s)
• Effect(s) of Failure
• Cause(s) of Failure
• Current Control(s)
• Recommended Action(s)

Most analyses of this type also include some method to assess the risk associated with the issues identified during the analysis and to prioritize corrective actions. Two common methods include:

• Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs)
• Criticality Analysis (FMEA with Criticality Analysis = FMECA)