Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (#24)

We have split the article about the “Six Sigma Root Cause Analysis” into a four part series. The Failure Modes and Effects Analysis is part four in this series. The other parts include:

·         SIPOC(R) Diagram

·         Input Map (Variables Map)

·         Cause and Effect Matrix (C&E Matrix)

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

All processes are susceptible to failures. Each possible failure will have different kinds of consequences. Six Sigma practitioners use the FMEA to 1) determine potential failures and their relative risks from their processes, 2) arrange a strategy to minimize the possible failures that have the highest risk, 3) record and assess the results of the strategy.

Below are the steps to finish a FMEA.

Step 1

Analyze and characterize each Process Step that is included in the Process Map. Evaluate the function each step is designed for.

Step 2

Contemplate each process step’s (and it’s function) Potential Failure Mode. The Potential Failure Mode outlines any potential failure that the process step could be inhibited by.

Step 3

Discover the possible failure consequence that is related to each Potential Failure Mode. Each consequence is analogous to each process steps ability to achieve the function it is intended to. The possible consequences need to be written in a way that relates to process performance to help discover and limit true possible risks.

Step 4

Discover each Potential Root Cause for each Potential Failure Mode. The Root Cause Analysis Tool along with first hand team knowledge will help.

Step 5

Discover each causes Current Process Controls. The Current Process Controls can be exhibited as a test or procedure to limit the potential failure’s access to the customer.

Step 6

Rank each possible failure consequence in order of severity. This will tell the team how potentially serious these consequences could be if they did happen. To aid in ranking, you need to understand the impact each consequence would have on the customer, operations, and the employees. A typical Severity Ranking is a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.

Step 7

Create an Occurrence Ranking; which measures how likely, or how frequent, the Potential Root Cause of the failure would occur. When your team knows what the cause of the problem is, you should record how frequent this cause occurs through data. Use reports, customer complaints, and equipment upkeep records.

Step 8

Create a Detection Ranking. To do so, find the product’s associated controls for their failure mode; then appoint a detection ranking to said controls. These rankings assess your organizations current process controls. These controls may be associated with the failure mode, the failure’s cause, or the failure mode’s effect. This process is very complicated because these controls can prevent a failure mode from happening or they can find cause/effect of failure after the failure mode has already happened.

Step 9

Calculate the RPN (Risk Priority Number). The RPN calculation helps the team determine the relative risk for each failure mode and its associated effect. A higher RPN represents a higher potential risk, a lower RPN represents a lower potential risk. To calculate the RPN you should multiply the Severity Ranking by the Occurrence Ranking by the Detection Ranking. Once you have calculated the RPN for each failure mode/effect, you should put them in numerical order so your team can see which projects are the most critical and what their failure causes are.

Step 10

Create an Action Plan. Your main priority in this step should be to lower your RPN’s; which in turn can be lowered by lowering a select of your other three rankings (detection, occurrence, and severity). In this step, you should also define who is responsible for each task and their associated deadline. Your Action Plan should be a framework for every step required to solve the problem, those responsible for each step, and the deadline for each step.

Step 11

Calculate the RPN, again! Remember your main goal was to lower the failure mode/effects RPN numbers. If they are lower, this proves that your action plan was successful and your team put their focus where it was needed.

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