System for failure mode and effects analysis

Abstract

A team is selected to perform failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) in a meeting moderated by a trained facilitator. A combination of group-ware, data bases, bridge programs and report generators configure RAM in a network of workstations in a meeting room to manage prompting members, recording responses, reaching consensus and documenting results. The members are prompted for and simultaneously enter failure modes for an apparatus or process into their respective workstations. The information is displayed anonymously to the other members. The correctness of input is verified by consensus including voting with automatic anonymous tallying, if required. A final list of failure modes is prepared, verified for correctness and completeness, and entered into the data base. For each failure mode a description of its effects and quantities for relative severity of occurrence, likelihood of occurrence, and likelihood of detection or mitigation are similarly generated, verified, and entered into the data base. Then the three quantities are automatically multiplied to determine a risk prioritization number (RPN). Bridge programs automatically generate an FMEA report in columnar form to document all the information in the data base. In order of RPN, in subsequent meetings, the causes of failure modes, current controls to prevent the effects or causes, proposed actions to further reduce the RPN, and the person responsible for implementing and reporting the results are generated, verified and entered into the data base. A second FMEA document with all this information is automatically generated and verified. Later in a group meeting, the actions which have been implemented and new quantities for relative severity of occurrence, likelihood of occurrence, and likelihood of detection or mitigation are similarly generated, verified and entered into the data base. A new RPN is automatically calculated and a third FMEA document is generated.