FMECA (Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis)
Purpose - To identify potential Failure Modes in a system, assess Failure Effect (their Effects/Impacts
on the mission or system operations), Failure Causes (Causes and Mechanisms) and Prioritize the
failures based on their criticality.
FMECA analyses risk, which is measured by criticality (the combination of severity and probability), to
take action and thus provide an opportunity to reduce the possibility of failure.
Standard Template
1. Introduction.
Purpose
System Description – function and components. Description of the intended
function(s) of the system/equipment/process.
2. System Overview.
Block Diagram: Block diagram or schematic of the system to visually represent the
components and their relationships.
3. FMECA Process
Methodology – Process & criteria used for analysis, definition of severity, occurrence
& detection ratings.
Team Members – List the team members involved in the FMECA and their roles.
4. FMECA Table
Item/ Failure Failure Failure Criticality Analysis
Functio Mode Cause Effect Severit Occurrenc Detectio Risk Recommen Resp Status
n y (S) e (O) n (D) Priority ded
Numbe Actions
r (RPN)
Power No output Electrical Sys 9 4 3 108 Implement Engg In
Supply power componen shutdown redundancy Tea progres
t failure , improve m s
component
quality
Cooling Overheatin Fan failure Sys 8 3 2 48 Add temp Maint Not
System g overheatin monitoring, Tea started
g damage use higher m
quality fans
S: 1-10, 10 being the most severe O: 1-10, 10 being the most likely D: 1-10, 10 being the least
detectable
RPN: S x O x D
Item/Function: The specific component or function being analyzed.
Failure Mode: Description of potential failure modes (e.g., loss of power, mechanical failure).
Failure Cause: The possible causes of the failure mode. Underlying reasons or mechanisms leading to
each failure mode.
Failure Effect: The consequences of the failure on system operation
Criticality Analysis
Severity (S): Assigning a severity ranking to each failure mode based on its impact
(e.g., 1 to 10, with 10 being the most severe).
Occurrence (O): Probability or likelihood of the failure mode occurring (e.g., 1 to 10, with
10 being the most likely).
Detection (D): Ease of detecting each failure mode before it causes harm to the system.
It is rated from 1 to 10 (10 being the least detectable).
Risk Priority Number (RPN): Calculated as S x O x D. Used to prioritize the failure
modes for action.
Two quantitative and one qualitative option exist for FMECA Criticality as identified below: -
1. Quantitative
Mode Criticality = Item Unreliability x Mode Ratio of Unreliability x Probability of Loss x
Time (life)
Item Criticality = Sum of Mode Criticalities
2. Qualitative
Compare failure modes via a Criticality Matrix, which identifies severity on the horizontal
axis and qualitatively derived occurrence on the vertical axis
Note: Quality-One suggests a qualitative criticality matrix for the Quality-One Three Path
Model for FMEA Development. Severity is on the vertical axis and occurrence is depicted
on the horizontal axis. This is often used as an alternative for the Risk Priority Number
(RPN) in FMEA.
Current Controls: Current Controls: Existing measures in place to prevent or mitigate each failure
mode.
Recommended Actions: Actions proposed to reduce the risk associated with the failure mode.
Responsibility: Person or team responsible for implementing the recommended actions.
Status: Current status of the recommended actions (e.g., Not Started, In Progress, Completed).
5. Analysis Results
Summary of Findings: Provide a summary of the most critical failure modes identified and their
potential impacts on the system.
Prioritization: Discuss how the failure modes were prioritized based on their RPNs and other
factors.
Recommended Actions: Outline the key actions recommended to mitigate the highest priority
risks.
Preventive Actions: Measures recommended to prevent the occurrence of failure
modes.
Mitigation Actions: Actions to reduce the severity or consequences of failure modes.
Detection Actions: Measures to improve the detectability of failure modes.
Responsibility Assignment: Designation of individuals or teams responsible for
implementing recommended actions.
Verification and Validation: Methods for verifying and validating the effectiveness of
recommended actions.
Documentation of Changes: Record of any changes made to the analysis or actions
taken.
Date/Version: Date of the analysis and version number.
6. Conclusion Summarise the overall results of FMECA and expected impact of implementing
the recommended actions on system reliability and safety.
7. Appendices
Appendix A Definitions and abbreviations
Appendix B Detailed calculation methods
Appendix C Additional supporting info
