FMEA template: failure mode and effects analysis
Updated · Reviewed by Israel Margulies, founder and CEO of High Point GPS
An FMEA (failure mode and effects analysis) template for equipment: for each part or function, list how it can fail, what happens when it does, and why, then rate severity, occurrence and detection from 1 to 10. Multiply them for the risk priority number (RPN), act on the highest, and rate again.
Root cause analysis looks back at a failure; FMEA looks ahead. Done for a critical machine, it shows which failures would hurt most and which you're least likely to see coming, so you can add the right PM task, inspection or spare before the breakdown.
RPN is severity × occurrence × detection, from 1 to 1,000. Don't only chase the biggest RPN: any failure with a severity of 9 or 10 (safety) deserves action, whatever its score. A fault tree analysis works the other way round, starting from one failure and mapping every combination of causes; FMEA is usually the easier place to start.
FMEA
Fields: Machine / system · FMEA team · Date · Revision
Log columns: Item / function · Failure mode · Effect · Severity (1 to 10) · Cause · Occurrence (1 to 10) · Current controls · Detection (1 to 10) · RPN · Action, owner, due · New RPN
Fill it in the right way
- Pick a critical machine or system and break it into parts or functions.
- For each, list the ways it can fail and what happens when it does.
- Rate severity, occurrence and detection from 1 to 10 using one agreed scale.
- Multiply them for the RPN and sort from highest.
- Add actions (PM tasks, inspections, spares, design changes) with owners and dates.
- Rate again once the actions are done.
Tips
- Use your failure history to rate occurrence, not gut feel.
- Detection means how likely you are to catch it before it causes the effect: a daily check scores better than nothing.
- Treat any severity 9 or 10 as a priority on its own.
- Review the FMEA when the machine, its use or its failures change.
Do it in FleetZap
- FleetZap's MTBF and downtime reports per machine give real numbers for occurrence.
- New PM tasks from the FMEA go into the machine's PM schedule and checklist.
- Every work order stays on the machine's history for the next review.
FleetZap Maintenance
Work orders, PM, parts, compliance, assets and KPIs. Explore FleetZap Maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
What is FMEA?
Failure mode and effects analysis: a structured review of how each part of a system can fail, what that would cause, and how likely and detectable it is, so the worst risks are dealt with first.
How do you calculate RPN?
Risk priority number = severity × occurrence × detection, each rated 1 to 10, giving a number from 1 to 1,000.
What's the difference between FMEA and root cause analysis?
FMEA looks at failures before they happen; root cause analysis investigates one that already happened.
What is fault tree analysis?
A top-down method that starts from one failure and maps the combinations of events that could cause it. It suits complex, high-consequence failures.