What is PFMEA? Process Failure Mode Effect Analysis explained
Process Failure Mode Effect Analysis (PFMEA) is a Six Sigma methodology designed to identify risk and rate critical failure modes of a given process.
PFMEA is traditionally applied to operating processes within the manufacturing industry and was developed with the notion that such processes are rarely perfect. In the usual systematic fashion of Six Sigma Methodologies, PFMEA offers a step-wise means of process analysis.
The PFMEA methodology defines the impact of failure, and then identifies and prioritizes action items, with the end goal of alleviating process risk.
The birth of the PFMEA approach from Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a set of techniques introduced by American engineer Bill Smith in 1986. Smith introduced the Six Sigma methodology to improve operational processes in manufacturing businesses. Six Sigma strategies seek to improve manufacturing quality by identifying defect causes and minimizing variability in operations.
A given Six Sigma project has defined targets, such as reducing pollution or increasing customer satisfaction. The project will then follow a clear Six Sigma methodology to deliver on that target. In the case of PFMEA, that target is to reduce process errors and defects.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.