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Using FMEA Templates to Speed Up and
Improve the Quality of FMEA or RCM Analyses
When used properly as a brainstorming tool,
FMEA Templates can be very effective to reduce the time required to perform
an FMEA or RCM analysis. In addition, they can provide an arguably even more
important benefit by helping to improve the depth and quality of the
analysis to better facilitate decision-making. This article describes how
FMEA Templates can be used to speed up and improve the quality of an FMEA or
RCM analysis and presents a brief summary of the ways that ReliaSoft’s
Xfmea,
RCM++ and/or
FMEA Accelerator® products can be used to support such
analysis techniques.
Background
The Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) methodology has been used for
many years in many different industries to help analysts to understand the
potential failure modes in a design, then to evaluate the risk posed by
those failures and identify the most appropriate corrective actions. The
same analysis technique is a central component of the Reliability Centered
Maintenance (RCM) analysis methodology, which has also proven to be
effective for developing safe, reliable and cost-effective maintenance
policies for equipment. In both cases, the analysis process can be
labor-intensive and time-consuming to perform correctly, causing many
analysts to be eager to find ways to reduce the time required to complete
their analysis projects.
Approaches that may speed up the process
but result in poor quality analyses that do not effectively support
decision-making are, of course, not recommended. However, at least one
technique, the proper use of FMEA Templates, has been used effectively by
many analysts not only to accelerate the analysis process but also to
improve the quality and usefulness of the analysis to improve the design or
maintenance strategy.
FMEA Templates
In the context of this article, "FMEA
Template" refers to a generic analysis that has been prepared in advance by
analysts who are experts in the FMEA analysis methodology and familiar with
the type of component or equipment for which an organization may wish to
perform a specific FMEA or RCM. It contains general descriptions of typical
functions, failures, effects and root causes that have been observed or
anticipated by the subject matter experts who prepared the template. In some
cases, it may also contain general information about potential mitigation
strategies that have proven effective in the past.
For example, a template to be used for
performing an RCM analysis on a pump might consist of generic descriptions
such as the following:1
- Function: Move X fluid while maintaining
Y flow rate.
- Functional Failure: Pumps less than the required flow rate. Suction valve
partially closed.
- Effect: Process impact and pump impeller damage.
- Cause: Valve component damage.
Such templates might be prepared internally
within the organization by engineers who have performed a large number of
FMEAs and wish to share their experience in an organized fashion with
engineers who will perform analyses on similar items in the future.
Likewise, high quality analysis templates may also be prepared by
consultants who have extensive subject matter expertise and a great deal of
experience with facilitating FMEAs for a variety of clients.
Using FMEA Templates as a Brainstorming
Tool
Of course, it is highly unlikely that a
particular FMEA Template will have been prepared for exactly the same item
used in exactly the same operating context as the one that the organization
wishes to analyze. Therefore, in most if not all situations, an FMEA
Template cannot be used to completely replace the organization’s own
specific analysis effort. Rather, the most appropriate way to use an FMEA
Template is as a brainstorming tool to speed up and improve a specific
analysis that the organization needs to complete. There are many ways that
this could be accomplished depending on the situation and the work process
of the particular analysis team. One possible approach is to use the
Template as a starting point for the analysis and then delete portions that
are not applicable for the specific analysis, modify other portions to make
them fit the specific situation more closely and finally to add information
that was not included in the Template but is relevant to the particular
analysis being performed. Another approach is to use the Template data in
the form of "pick lists" so that the analysis team can browse through the
information and select portions to insert into the current analysis whenever
appropriate.
For example, when an organization begins to
perform an RCM analysis for a specific pump in a specific operating context,
the analysis team could review an FMEA Template like the one referenced
above in order to determine which functions and failures might be applicable
to their own particular analysis. Relevant descriptions could be imported
and adjusted to meet the specific situation. The team would then add any
relevant functions and/or failure modes that were not anticipated by the
Template and also perform the risk analysis and identify the mitigation
efforts that are appropriate for the specific circumstance.
Some of the benefits of using an FMEA
Template as a brainstorming tool include:
- Saves the time that would have been
required to identify and enter the basic functions and failures that are
common to most items of a particular type.
- Expands the depth and breadth of the engineering experience that goes into
performing the analysis by ensuring that the analysis team considers
specific functions or failure modes that they may not have thought of on
their own (or that would have taken more time to arise in the discussion).
- Helps to ensure consistency of data entry if commonly occurring
descriptions are always imported from Templates rather than entered
manually.
Xfmea, RCM++ and FMEA Accelerator®
ReliaSoft’s Xfmea software facilitates analysis, data management and
reporting for all types of FMEA/FMECA analysis. The companion
RCM++ software provides full support for RCM analysis and data
management. Both products provide a variety of tools to help analysts to
find and re-use data from existing analyses when applicable, thereby
providing extensive support for the Template-based approach to FMEA or RCM
analysis. Available tools include but are not limited to the following:
- Import Spreadsheets: A choice of four
Excel® templates that can be used to import function, failure, effect, cause
and related data directly from outside data sources. Most delimited file
formats for this type of data can be converted to one of the import
spreadsheets with a reasonable amount of effort.
- Import Items and/or FMEA Utility: Allows the user to browse for and import
all or portions of an existing FMEA.
- Import Wizard: Allows the user to search for and import existing FMEA(s)
using up to three keywords and Boolean operators to identify the item of
interest.
- Bulk Add / Select Existing Utility:
Allows the user to search for and
select existing function, failure, effect, cause or related descriptions
directly from an existing analysis or Template.
- Copy/Paste: Allows the user to easily copy/paste portions of one analysis
into another analysis.
All of the capabilities mentioned above can
be used to access FMEA Template data that is stored in outside data files,
existing analyses that have been performed in Xfmea/RCM++ and/or pre-defined
Phrase Sets that have been prepared by users within the software. In
addition, with the release of CRV 4.0.2 in April 2007, both Xfmea and RCM++
can now be integrated with a new resource, the FMEA Accelerator® FMEA
Template Collection. This database-driven knowledge base provides a
selection of FMEA templates for a wide variety of components. These
Templates were prepared by experienced analysts who are knowledgeable about
the components and the failure mode analysis process and can be purchased by
collection or individually, depending on the organization’s particular
needs. For more information, see http://Accelerator.ReliaSoft.com.
1. These particular
descriptions have been copied from one of the FMEA Templates available in
the MRG Physical Asset FMEA Collection, prepared by Management Resources
Group (MRG) and available for purchase via the FMEA Accelerator®. For more
information, see
http://www.ReliaSoft.com/fmea/mrg_physical_assets.htm.
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