Two powerful tools for improving quality are FMEAs and Mistake-Proofing. Together, they can be thought of as a “Find It” and “Fix It” approach.

Find-It

FMEA, also known as Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, is a process that aims to identify potential risks in a product or process design. This is done by assessing the potential modes of failure and evaluating the impact of those failures. Scales are used to rank the severity of the effect, the frequency of the cause of the failure, and the ability to detect or control the failure.

The traditional FMEA approach uses these ratings to calculate the Risk Priority Number (RPN). The newer AIAG-VDA FMEA approach introduced in 2019 by the international automotive industry replaces the RPN with an Action Priority Level (APL). Regardless of the approach used, the goal is to assign a relative risk rating to each failure mode. Once this rating is determined, the team can develop action plans to reduce the risks that are deemed unacceptable.

Fix-It

While some action plans may require a lot of effort, most risks can be addressed with a simple and effective mistake-proofing solution. Mistake-proofing techniques aim to find practical, feasible, and cost-effective ways to prevent the issue from ever occurring again. In FMEA terms, this means striving to achieve a “never” occurrence rating for the potential failure.

To prevent errors from happening, creative thinking is required to come up with innovative solutions. After all, if the answer were obvious, the problem would have already been solved! Mistake-proofing involves studying the process and identifying the root cause of recurring issues, then devising ways to prevent it from happening again. Often, the best mistake-proofing solutions are affordable and straightforward.

Net-Net

FMEAs are excellent risk assessment tools. They help us identify potential problems that lead to unacceptable outcomes. Mistake-proofing is a time-effective and cost-effective way to eliminate a vast majority those potential problems. Used together, quality and customer satisfaction will soar.

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