The Psychology of Quality and More

A Toolbook for Quality Improvement and Problem Solving (contents)

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): When to use it

The Quality Toolbook > Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) > When to use it

When to use it | How to understand it | Example | How to do it | Practical variations

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When to use it

• Use it when designing products or processes, to identify and avoid failure-prone designs.
• Use it when investigating why existing systems have failed, to help identify possible causes and remedies.
• Use it when investigating possible solutions, to help select one with an acceptable risk for the known benefit of implementing it.
• Use it when planning actions, in order to identify risks in the plan and hence identify countermeasures.

Fig. 1. Using FMEA in problem solving

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