Track 1 Session 8

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Alternative Methods for FMEA in Lean Product Development

Although some industries have specific standards for performing Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), many companies do not have specific requirements and do not use FMEA effectively. Today's move to lean product development, reduced costs and shorter development time makes it even harder to use traditional FMEA approaches. This presentation offers some alternative methods to achieve the core benefits of FMEA: focusing resources on the highest risk issues and preventing reliability problems. Methods for focusing FMEA efforts and reducing the negative perceptions of FMEA include identifying what is known and what is new or changed and then targeting the analysis on the highest risks rather than grinding through a form line by line. The alternative FMEA draws on Toyota's Design Review Based on Failure Modes (DRBFM), parameter diagrams, boundary diagrams, critical characteristic matrix and unknowns identified with lean product development requirements tools. By narrowing the focus of the FMEA and drawing on the knowledge base of current products and processes, effective risk assessment and task/resource allocation can be accomplished with less pain and more impact on the product.

Key Words: Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), P-Diagram, Boundary Diagram, Critical Characteristics, Design Review by Failure Modes (DRBFM), Lean Product Development

John J. Paschkewitz

Watlow

Fenton, Missouri