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Failure Mode and Effects Analysis — Educational Report
FMEA methods, standards, examples and learning record

FMEA Information & Learning App

Explore Failure Mode and Effects Analysis through guided explanations, an interactive seven-step method, DFMEA and PFMEA comparisons, rating guidance, worked examples, a risk-priority simulator, scenarios and a knowledge check. This app is educational rather than a project-record system and produces a professional reference report for printing or saving as PDF.

DFMEA · design risk PFMEA · process risk RISK · prioritise ACTION · prevent
7
Structured analysis steps
3
Core ratings: S, O and D
0/8
Knowledge-check score
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Current simulated RPN
PDF
Informative printable report

What FMEA Is

A proactive team method for anticipating and reducing risk.
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis systematically asks how a design, process, system or service could fail; what the effects would be; why the failure could occur; which controls already prevent or detect it; and what action should reduce the risk.
Core principle: FMEA is most valuable before design release, tooling commitment or stable production. It should influence decisions—not merely document decisions already made.

Failure chain

Function or requirement → failure mode → local, next-level and end effect → cause or mechanism → prevention control → detection control → action and re-evaluation.

A failure mode is the manner in which a requirement might not be met. A cause explains why it might happen. An effect describes what happens if it does.

DFMEA

Analyses design functions, interfaces, characteristics and potential design weaknesses.

  • Begins from product functions
  • Considers system interactions
  • Influences specifications and verification

PFMEA

Analyses manufacturing, assembly, inspection, test, handling and special-process operations.

  • Begins from process steps
  • Links to process flow and control plan
  • Influences prevention and detection controls

FMEA-MSR

Considers monitoring and system response during customer operation where diagnostic or mitigative functions exist.

  • Operational monitoring
  • System response
  • Residual effect after response

System / Service FMEA

Extends the logic to system architecture, service delivery, software-supported activity and organisational processes.

  • Interfaces and hand-offs
  • Human and information failures
  • Service continuity and recovery

What Good FMEA Looks Like

Cross-functional

Design, manufacturing, quality, reliability, service, supplier, inspection, special-process and operator knowledge are combined.

Specific

Functions, failure modes, causes and controls are written precisely enough to support decisions and traceability.

Living

The analysis is reviewed after changes, failures, new evidence, capability shifts, lessons learned and control-plan updates.

AIAG–VDA Style Seven-Step Approach

Select each step below for focused guidance.
Select a step to see objectives, questions, outputs and common mistakes.

Good Analysis Sequence

Interactive Risk-Priority Simulator

Educational only—use the rating tables required by your organisation or customer.
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RPN = Severity × Occurrence × Detection

Severity

Relative seriousness of the effect. Safety, regulatory or loss-of-primary-function effects normally demand special attention regardless of occurrence.

Occurrence

Relative likelihood that a specific cause will occur, based on evidence such as capability, field history, test results, process knowledge or comparable designs.

Detection

Relative ability of the current detection controls to find the cause or failure mode before the item reaches the next user. A high number means poor detectability.

RPN and Action Priority

Do not use RPN alone. Different combinations can produce the same RPN while representing very different risk. A severe safety effect must not be hidden by a low occurrence score.
Action Priority (AP) evaluates combinations of Severity, Occurrence and Detection using defined High, Medium or Low logic. It supports prioritisation but does not replace engineering judgement, mandatory action rules or customer-specific requirements.

Standards, Handbooks and Industry Context

Confirm current revision, contractual applicability and authorised rating tables.
ReferencePurpose / relationshipUse note
IEC 60812:2018International guidance for Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, including FMEA and FMECA concepts, planning, execution, documentation and related techniques.Broad cross-industry method reference.
SAE J1739:2021Addresses Design FMEA, Process FMEA and Supplemental FMEA for Monitoring and System Response.Automotive-oriented standard; confirm customer expectations.
AIAG & VDA FMEA HandbookHarmonised automotive handbook introducing the seven-step approach and Action Priority logic for DFMEA, PFMEA and FMEA-MSR.A handbook and industry reference, not a substitute for customer-specific requirements.
SAE AS13004Aerospace supplier-quality approach for PFMEA and control plans, supporting risk-based process control and prevention.Commonly associated with aerospace engine supply-chain expectations.
AS9100 / EN 9100Does not prescribe one FMEA format, but risk-based operational planning, product safety, configuration, change, production controls and prevention activities can be supported by FMEA.Use FMEA where appropriate to product and process risk.
AS9145Aerospace APQP and Production Part Approval Process framework in which risk analysis, process flow, PFMEA and control planning are strongly connected.Apply when flowed down or adopted by the organisation.
MIL-STD-1629AHistoric military procedure for FMECA. It remains influential but has been cancelled as an active US military standard.Use only where specifically required or as historical guidance.
ISO 14971Medical-device risk-management standard. FMEA may support hazard analysis, but FMEA alone is not equivalent to the complete risk-management process.Sector-specific controls and terminology apply.
Copyright and compliance note: This app summarises concepts and does not reproduce controlled rating tables or copyrighted standard text. Access the authorised documents and customer requirements before conducting a formal FMEA.

Resources and Companion Tools

Inputs

  • Requirements and characteristics
  • Boundary or block diagram
  • Process flow diagram
  • Lessons learned and field data
  • Previous FMEAs and standards

Linked outputs

  • Design verification plan
  • Process control plan
  • Inspection and test plan
  • Work instructions
  • Special-characteristic controls

Supporting methods

  • Fault Tree Analysis
  • Hazard analysis
  • Reliability block diagrams
  • Process capability and SPC
  • Design of Experiments

Worked Examples

Improve the Wording

Knowledge Check

Choose a question, select an answer and read the explanation.

Select a question

Your score and explanations will appear here.

Educational FMEA Report

Select Generate / Refresh Report to prepare the printable learning document.
Special Processes Institute · sp-i.orgFMEA Information & Learning App