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Project Management & Agile · Intermediate

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Structured method for identifying potential failure modes, their causes and effects, and prioritizing actions.

Definition

Each failure mode is rated for severity, occurrence, and detection (typically 1-10); RPN = S x O x D. Newer AIAG-VDA FMEA uses action priority instead of RPN.

Example

A failure mode with S=9, O=4, D=6 has RPN 216 and gets priority mitigation.

Exam tip

Higher detection rating means harder to detect.

Related terms