Approach to identifying the ideal time to perform an FMEA during the product development process

Abstract

The Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is one way to preventatively identify failures. In it, failures and their risks to the customer are analysed and valuated in order to define mitigation strategies for minimization or avoidance. Depending on this purpose, a division into functional, design and process FMEA is mentioned in literature. If the FMEA is used as early as possible during the product development process, the usable level of information is very low. It grows during the product development process and is understood as all available information, with different degrees of concretisations, according to an instant in time. It can be suggested that the available level of information influences the FMEA results as well as the point of time to perform. In order to identify an ideal point of time, a three-step methodology is considered.?First, the level of information is systematized by using product and process models. Subsequently, the quality of information is measured with the help of an Information-Quality framework.?This framework contains the four target categories Accessibility, Representational, Intrinsic and Contextual, whereby each category can be described by different dimensions. Using this, the available level and quality of information to an instant in time during the product development process can be determined.?Second, specific requirements on information to perform a functional, design or a process FMEA are defined and evaluated by using the IQ-Framework too. So for every type of FMEA a needed level on quality of information is specified.?Third, the available and needed quality of information to perform a FMEA is compared. Based on that, for each type of FMEA the most appropriate period of time during the product development process can be estimated, whereby a contribution for a robust design of products is made.