Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
A systematic method to identify and prevent potential failures. Core elements: - Failure Mode: What could go wrong? - Effects: What are the consequences? - Causes: Why does it happen? Risk Priority Number (RPN) calculation: RPN = Severity (S) × Occurrence (O) × Detection (D) - S (Severity): Severity of the failure consequence (1-10) - O (Occurrence): Likelihood of occurrence
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA; often written with "failure modes" in plural) is the process of reviewing as many components, assemblies, and subsystems as possible to identify potential failure modes in a system and their causes and effects. For each component, the failure modes and their …
Anchor fast decisions
A systematic method to identify and prevent potential failures. The mechanism is to break down "failure" into three questions: mode (what goes wrong), effect (consequence), and cause (why it happens), and quantify risk using RPN = Severity (S) × Occurrence (O) × Detection (D), prioritizing high-scoring items.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_mode_and_effects_analysisverified
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