Corporate FMEA Standards
The usefulness of FMEAs is dependent upon the effectiveness with which analysis is communicated for early design attention. Thus, prior to beginning FMEA development, organisations should develop and implement a corporate FMEA standard that documents the internal procedures to be followed. Also, if data elements needed for FMEA analysis are predefined in electronic databases, information on using and maintaining these data elements should be included in the corporate standard.
To receive the greatest benefits from FMEAs, the corporate standard for managing the FMEA process should:
• Provide procedures for implementing the specified requirements of the corporate
standard.
• Supply guidelines on how the analysis method is to be selected, how the FMEA is to be constructed and later updated to reflect design changes, and how analysis results are to provide design guidance.
• Give examples of the various FMEA worksheets that are used for the different FMEA approaches and indicate where these worksheets reside.
• Describe the nomenclature and coding system to be used in FMEAs so that results are repeatable, traceable (to programme drawings, design documentation and other analyses) and maintainable.
• Indicate how failure rates and probabilities are to be applied consistently to failure modes if analysis is extended to include criticality.
• Demonstrate how the analysis is to be exchanged for approval or between team members.
• Establish rating procedures for severity, occurrence and detection that are tailored to the industry and systems being analysed and clarify when each scale is to be implemented.
• Furnish a glossary of terms used in FMEA development.
• Explain how cost/benefit analysis should be performed to determine whether the FMEA can be completed at a reasonable cost within the needed time frame.
To gain even greater benefits from FMEAs, organisations should consider implementing a team approach. By including effective representation from all groups that influence the final design or process and who are affected by it—including reliability, test, logistics, quality assurance, suppliers and customers, the knowledge of all subject matter experts is collected, and the chances of identifying and preventing potential failure modes are greatly increased.
A team approach to developing FMEAs also ensures integration of the product and process planning, and provides for communication between departments. The team leader, who is the engineer responsible for the design, ensures that all team members understand the corporate FMEA standard and preserves team dynamics throughout the FMEA development.