Resource Centers

Getting Started with a Design FMEA

It is tempting to jump right into working through the FMEA Analysis Worksheet, but that will likely lead to problems down the road as the team gets into the DFMEA. Two important steps your team needs to take before actually doing the DFMEA is to define the Scope of the DFMEA and to make sure that the roles and responsibilities of the team members are clarified.

Without a well-defined scope that includes what IS and what IS NOT included in the DFMEA study, the team will struggle. Typically teams without clear boundaries for their FMEA will find their project growing as more aspects of the design get included into the analysis. This information is especially helpful to team members who are not as familiar with the design being studied. The DFMEA Scope Worksheet provides your team with the information necessary to clarify and fully understand the scope of the study.

If the scope of a DFMEA seems too big, the FMEA team should consider breaking it up into two or three complementary studies. Otherwise, the DFMEA will become unwieldy and important failures may be missed all together.

Once your FMEA team has defined the scope of the DFMEA, they should complete the FMEA Team Start-Up Worksheet. The worksheet will help clarify roles and responsibilities and define boundaries of freedom for the team.