FAILURE MODE EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA)
A) INTRO:
1. Also called: potential failure modes and effects analysis; failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA).
2. Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a step-by-step approach for identifying all possible failures in a design, a manufacturing or assembly process, or a product or service.
3. “Failure modes” means the ways, or modes, in which something might fail. Failures are any errors or defects, especially ones that affect the customer, and can be potential or actual.
4. “Effects analysis” refers to studying the consequences of those failures.
5. Failures are prioritized according to how serious their consequences are, how frequently they occur and how easily they can be detected.
6. The purpose of the FMEA is to take actions to eliminate or reduce failures, starting with the highest-priority ones.
7. Failure modes and effects analysis also documents current knowledge and actions about the risks of failures, for use in continuous improvement.
8. FMEA is used during design to prevent failures. Later it’s used for control, before and during on-going operation of the process. Ideally, FMEA begins during the earliest conceptual stages of design and continues throughout the life of the product or service.
9. Begun in the 1940s by the U.S. military, FMEA was further developed by the aerospace and automotive industries. Several industries maintain formal FMEA standards.
10. What follows is an overview and reference. Before undertaking an FMEA process, learn more about standards and specific methods in your organization and industry through other references and training.
B) When to Use FMEA:
a) When a process, product or service is being designed or redesigned, after quality function deployment.
b) When an existing process, product or service is being applied in a new way.
c) Before developing control plans for a new or modified process.
d) When improvement goals are planned for an existing process, product or service.
e) When analysing failures of an existing process, product or service.
f) Periodically throughout the life of the process, product or service
C) FMEA Procedure
Notes: (Again, this is a general procedure. Specific details may vary with standards of your organization or industry.)
i. Assemble a cross-functional team of people with diverse knowledge about the process, product or service and customer needs.
ii. Functions often included are: design, manufacturing, quality, testing, reliability, maintenance, purchasing (and suppliers), sales, marketing (and customers) and customer service.
iii. Identify the scope of the FMEA. Is it for concept, system, design, process or service?
iv. What are the boundaries?
v. How detailed should we be?
vi. Use flowcharts to identify the scope and to make sure every team member understands it in detail. (From here on, we’ll use the word “scope” to mean the system, design, process or service that is the subject of your FMEA.)
vii. Identify the functions of your scope. Ask, “What is the purpose of this system, design, process or service? What do our customers expect it to do?”
viii. Name it with a verb followed by a noun. Usually you will break the scope into separate subsystems, items, parts, assemblies or process steps and identify the function of each.
ix. For each function, identify all the ways failure could happen. These are potential failure modes.
x. If necessary, go back and rewrite the function with more detail to be sure the failure modes show a loss of that function.
xi. For each failure mode, identify all the consequences on the system, related systems, process, related processes, product, service, customer or regulations. These are potential effects of failure. Ask, “What does the customer experience because of this failure? What happens when this failure occurs?”
xii. Determine how serious each effect is. This is the severity rating, or S. Severity is usually rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is insignificant and 10 is catastrophic.
xiii. If a failure mode has more than one effect, write on the FMEA table only the highest severity rating for that failure mode.
xiv. For each failure mode, determine all the potential root causes. Use tools classified as cause analysis tool, as well as the best knowledge and experience of the team. List all possible causes for each failure mode on the FMEA form.
xv. For each cause, determine the occurrence rating, or O. This rating estimates the probability of failure occurring for that reason during the lifetime of your scope.
xvi. Occurrence is usually rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is extremely unlikely and 10 is inevitable. On the FMEA table, list the occurrence rating for each cause.
xvii. For each cause, identify current process controls. These are tests, procedures or mechanisms that you now have in place to keep failures from reaching the customer.
xviii. These controls might prevent the cause from happening, reduce the likelihood that it will happen or detect failure after the cause has already happened but before the customer is affected.
xix. For each control, determine the detection rating, or D. This rating estimates how well the controls can detect either the cause or its failure mode after they have happened but before the customer is affected.
xx. Detection is usually rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means the control is absolutely certain to detect the problem and 10 means the control is certain not to detect the problem (or no control exists). On the FMEA table, list the detection rating for each cause.
xxi. (Optional for most industries) Is this failure mode associated with a critical characteristic? (Critical characteristics are measurements or indicators that reflect safety or compliance with government regulations and need special controls.)
xxii. If so, a column labelled “Classification” receives a Y or N to show whether special controls are needed. Usually, critical characteristics have a severity of 9 or 10 and occurrence and detection ratings above 3.
xxiii. Calculate the risk priority number, or RPN, which equals S × O × D. Also calculate Criticality by multiplying severity by occurrence, S × O. These numbers provide guidance for ranking potential failures in the order they should be addressed.
xxiv. Identify recommended actions. These actions may be design or process changes to lower severity or occurrence.
xxv. They may be additional controls to improve detection. Also note who is responsible for the actions and target completion dates.
xxvi. As actions are completed, note results and the date on the FMEA form. Also, note new S, O or D ratings and new RPNs.
MKR
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
JOB PRIORITY LIST
JOB PRIORITY LIST
1. The Key to Efficiency
Do you often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do, or do you find yourself missing deadlines? Or do you sometimes just forget to do something important, so that people have to chase you to get work done?
All of these are symptoms of not keeping a proper "Job Priority List." These are prioritized lists of all the tasks that you need to carry out. They list everything that you have to do, with the most important tasks at the top of the list, and the least important tasks at the bottom.
By keeping such a list, you make sure that your tasks are written down all in one place so you don't forget anything important. And by prioritizing tasks, you plan the order in which you'll do them, so that you can tell what needs your immediate attention, and what you can leave until later.
Job Priority Lists are essential if you're going to beat work overload. When you don't use them effectively, you'll appear unfocused and unreliable to the people around you.
When you do use them effectively, you'll be much better organized, and you'll be much more reliable.
You'll experience less stress, safe in the knowledge that you haven't forgotten anything important. More than this, if you prioritize intelligently, you'll focus your time and energy on high value activities, which will mean that you're more productive, and more valuable to your team.
Keeping a properly structured and thought-out list sounds simple enough. But it can be surprising how many people fail to use them at all, never mind use them effectively.
In fact, it's often when people start to use them effectively and sensibly that they make their first personal productivity breakthroughs, and start making a success of their careers.
2. Preparing a Job Priority List
Step 1:
Write down all of the tasks that you need to complete. If they're large tasks, break out the first action step, and write this down with the larger task. (Ideally, tasks or action steps should take no longer than 1-2 hours to complete.)
Notes: You may find it easier to compile several lists (covering personal, study, and workplace, for example). Try different approaches and use the best for your own situation.
Step 2:
Run through these tasks allocating priorities from A (very important, or very urgent) to F (unimportant, or not at all urgent).
If too many tasks have a high priority, run through the list again and demote the less important ones. Once you have done this, rewrite the list in priority order.
3. Using Your Job Priority List
To use your list, simply work your way through it in order, dealing with the A priority tasks first, then the Bs, then the Cs, and so on. As you complete tasks, tick them off or strike them through.
What you put on your list and how you use it will depend on your situation. For instance, if you're in a sales-type role, a good way to motivate yourself is to keep your list relatively short, and aim to complete it every day.
Sometimes it needs to focus on a longer-term task in the list. You may continue to monitor it day-by-day basis.
Many people find it helpful to spend, say, 10 minutes at the end of the day, organising tasks on their list for the next day.
Notes: When you're prioritising tasks, make sure you differentiate between urgency and importance.
Although using a paper list is an easy way to get started, software-based approaches can be more efficient in spite of the learning curve. These can remind you of events or tasks that will soon be overdue, they can also be synchronised with your phone or email, and they can be shared with others on your team, if you're collaborating on a project.
There are many time management software programs available. At a simple level, you can use MSWord or MSExcel to manage your lists. Some versions of Microsoft Outlook, and other email services such as Gmail, have task lists as standard features. Remember the Milk is another popular online task management tool that will sync with your smartphone, PDA, or email account. It can even show you where your tasks are on a map.
One of the biggest advantages to using a software-based approach to manage your list is that you can update it easily. For example, instead of scratching off tasks and rewriting the list every day, software allows you to move and prioritise tasks quickly.
Notes: All of us think, plan and work differently. A program that works well for a colleague might not work well for you simply because you learn and think in your own way. This is why it's useful to research and try several different ways of compiling your list before deciding on a single system
Job Priority Lists can help you get, and stay, on top of important projects and piles of tasks or decisions.
For instance, imagine you're heading a team that's working on a project. There are so many tasks to do, and so many people doing them, that staying on top of it all seems overwhelming.
In this situation, structure your list by team member, writing out tasks and deadlines for every person on the project. Each day as you write out your own tasks that need completion, you can also check your Team To-Do List to see who's working on what, and if anything is due in that day. You can also include other tasks that you need to complete as part of your job.
Or, imagine you're in a sales role and have a long list of people who you need to talk to. You write out a list of everyone you need to call and every client you need to see, and start prioritising.
You know that one client really keen on your product and is ready to buy, so you prioritise them with an "A" – this is a prospect that's really worth focusing on. Conversely, you know that another prospect is playing you off against several competitors, meaning that you'll make less profit, and that there's a reasonable chance that you won't get the business. You prioritize this person with a "D". It's worth making some effort here, but you should focus most of your attention on better prospects.
Tip: Job Priority Lists are particularly useful when you have a small number of tasks that you need to complete. However, they can become cumbersome when you have too many items on them, or when you need to progress multiple projects. At this stage, it's worth starting to use Action Programs, which are designed to manage more complex situations reliably.
3. Advantages of Job Priority List
• To be well organized in the workplace, you need to be using Job Priority Lists. By using them, you will ensure that:
You remember to carry out all necessary tasks.
You tackle the most important jobs first, and don't waste time on trivial tasks.
You don't get stressed by a large number of unimportant jobs.
Start by listing all of the tasks that you must carry out.
Mark the importance of the task next to it, with a priority from A (very important) to F (unimportant). Redraft the list into this order of importance. Then carry out the jobs at the top of the list first. These are the most important, most beneficial tasks to complete.
MKR
1. The Key to Efficiency
Do you often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do, or do you find yourself missing deadlines? Or do you sometimes just forget to do something important, so that people have to chase you to get work done?
All of these are symptoms of not keeping a proper "Job Priority List." These are prioritized lists of all the tasks that you need to carry out. They list everything that you have to do, with the most important tasks at the top of the list, and the least important tasks at the bottom.
By keeping such a list, you make sure that your tasks are written down all in one place so you don't forget anything important. And by prioritizing tasks, you plan the order in which you'll do them, so that you can tell what needs your immediate attention, and what you can leave until later.
Job Priority Lists are essential if you're going to beat work overload. When you don't use them effectively, you'll appear unfocused and unreliable to the people around you.
When you do use them effectively, you'll be much better organized, and you'll be much more reliable.
You'll experience less stress, safe in the knowledge that you haven't forgotten anything important. More than this, if you prioritize intelligently, you'll focus your time and energy on high value activities, which will mean that you're more productive, and more valuable to your team.
Keeping a properly structured and thought-out list sounds simple enough. But it can be surprising how many people fail to use them at all, never mind use them effectively.
In fact, it's often when people start to use them effectively and sensibly that they make their first personal productivity breakthroughs, and start making a success of their careers.
2. Preparing a Job Priority List
Step 1:
Write down all of the tasks that you need to complete. If they're large tasks, break out the first action step, and write this down with the larger task. (Ideally, tasks or action steps should take no longer than 1-2 hours to complete.)
Notes: You may find it easier to compile several lists (covering personal, study, and workplace, for example). Try different approaches and use the best for your own situation.
Step 2:
Run through these tasks allocating priorities from A (very important, or very urgent) to F (unimportant, or not at all urgent).
If too many tasks have a high priority, run through the list again and demote the less important ones. Once you have done this, rewrite the list in priority order.
3. Using Your Job Priority List
To use your list, simply work your way through it in order, dealing with the A priority tasks first, then the Bs, then the Cs, and so on. As you complete tasks, tick them off or strike them through.
What you put on your list and how you use it will depend on your situation. For instance, if you're in a sales-type role, a good way to motivate yourself is to keep your list relatively short, and aim to complete it every day.
Sometimes it needs to focus on a longer-term task in the list. You may continue to monitor it day-by-day basis.
Many people find it helpful to spend, say, 10 minutes at the end of the day, organising tasks on their list for the next day.
Notes: When you're prioritising tasks, make sure you differentiate between urgency and importance.
Although using a paper list is an easy way to get started, software-based approaches can be more efficient in spite of the learning curve. These can remind you of events or tasks that will soon be overdue, they can also be synchronised with your phone or email, and they can be shared with others on your team, if you're collaborating on a project.
There are many time management software programs available. At a simple level, you can use MSWord or MSExcel to manage your lists. Some versions of Microsoft Outlook, and other email services such as Gmail, have task lists as standard features. Remember the Milk is another popular online task management tool that will sync with your smartphone, PDA, or email account. It can even show you where your tasks are on a map.
One of the biggest advantages to using a software-based approach to manage your list is that you can update it easily. For example, instead of scratching off tasks and rewriting the list every day, software allows you to move and prioritise tasks quickly.
Notes: All of us think, plan and work differently. A program that works well for a colleague might not work well for you simply because you learn and think in your own way. This is why it's useful to research and try several different ways of compiling your list before deciding on a single system
Job Priority Lists can help you get, and stay, on top of important projects and piles of tasks or decisions.
For instance, imagine you're heading a team that's working on a project. There are so many tasks to do, and so many people doing them, that staying on top of it all seems overwhelming.
In this situation, structure your list by team member, writing out tasks and deadlines for every person on the project. Each day as you write out your own tasks that need completion, you can also check your Team To-Do List to see who's working on what, and if anything is due in that day. You can also include other tasks that you need to complete as part of your job.
Or, imagine you're in a sales role and have a long list of people who you need to talk to. You write out a list of everyone you need to call and every client you need to see, and start prioritising.
You know that one client really keen on your product and is ready to buy, so you prioritise them with an "A" – this is a prospect that's really worth focusing on. Conversely, you know that another prospect is playing you off against several competitors, meaning that you'll make less profit, and that there's a reasonable chance that you won't get the business. You prioritize this person with a "D". It's worth making some effort here, but you should focus most of your attention on better prospects.
Tip: Job Priority Lists are particularly useful when you have a small number of tasks that you need to complete. However, they can become cumbersome when you have too many items on them, or when you need to progress multiple projects. At this stage, it's worth starting to use Action Programs, which are designed to manage more complex situations reliably.
3. Advantages of Job Priority List
• To be well organized in the workplace, you need to be using Job Priority Lists. By using them, you will ensure that:
You remember to carry out all necessary tasks.
You tackle the most important jobs first, and don't waste time on trivial tasks.
You don't get stressed by a large number of unimportant jobs.
Start by listing all of the tasks that you must carry out.
Mark the importance of the task next to it, with a priority from A (very important) to F (unimportant). Redraft the list into this order of importance. Then carry out the jobs at the top of the list first. These are the most important, most beneficial tasks to complete.
MKR
ON THE JOB TRAINING (OJT)
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
Management development is a systematic process of growth and development by which the Head of Departments (HODs) develop their abilities to staff. It is concerned with not only improving the performance of staffs but also giving them opportunities for growth and development.
There are two methods through which staffs can improve their knowledge and skills. One is through formal training and other is through on the job experiences. On the job training is very important since real learning takes place only when one practices what they have studied.
1. On-the-job Training (OJT) Methods:
This is the most common method of training in which a trainee is placed on a specific job and taught the skills and knowledge necessary to perform it.
The advantages of OJT are as follows:
a. On the job method is a flexible method.
b. It is a less expensive method.
c. The trainee is highly motivated and encouraged to learn.
d. Much arrangement for the training is not required.
On-the-job training methods are as follows:
1. Job rotation:
This training method involves movement of trainee from one job to another gain knowledge and experience from different job assignments. This method helps the trainee understand the problems of other employees.
2. Coaching:
Under this method, the trainee is placed under a particular supervisor who functions as a coach in training and provides feedback to the trainee. Sometimes the trainee may not get an opportunity to express his/her ideas.
3. Job instructions:
Also known as step-by-step training in which the trainer explains the way of doing the jobs to the trainee and in case of mistakes, corrects the trainee.
4. Committee assignments:
A group of trainees are asked to solve a given organizational problem by discussing the problem. This helps to improve team work.
Prepared:
MKR.
Management development is a systematic process of growth and development by which the Head of Departments (HODs) develop their abilities to staff. It is concerned with not only improving the performance of staffs but also giving them opportunities for growth and development.
There are two methods through which staffs can improve their knowledge and skills. One is through formal training and other is through on the job experiences. On the job training is very important since real learning takes place only when one practices what they have studied.
1. On-the-job Training (OJT) Methods:
This is the most common method of training in which a trainee is placed on a specific job and taught the skills and knowledge necessary to perform it.
The advantages of OJT are as follows:
a. On the job method is a flexible method.
b. It is a less expensive method.
c. The trainee is highly motivated and encouraged to learn.
d. Much arrangement for the training is not required.
On-the-job training methods are as follows:
1. Job rotation:
This training method involves movement of trainee from one job to another gain knowledge and experience from different job assignments. This method helps the trainee understand the problems of other employees.
2. Coaching:
Under this method, the trainee is placed under a particular supervisor who functions as a coach in training and provides feedback to the trainee. Sometimes the trainee may not get an opportunity to express his/her ideas.
3. Job instructions:
Also known as step-by-step training in which the trainer explains the way of doing the jobs to the trainee and in case of mistakes, corrects the trainee.
4. Committee assignments:
A group of trainees are asked to solve a given organizational problem by discussing the problem. This helps to improve team work.
Prepared:
MKR.
PLAN DO CHECK ACTION (PDCA) CYCLE
1. WHAT IS PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACTION (PDCA) CYCLES?
PLAN
- Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the expected output (the target or goals).
- By establishing output expectations, the completeness and accuracy of the specification is also a part of the targeted improvement.
DO
- Implement the plan, execute the process, and implement.
- Collect data for charting and analysis in the following "CHECK" and "ACTION" steps.
CHECK
- Study the actual results (measured and collected in "DO" above) and compare against the expected results (targets or goals from the "PLAN") to ascertain any differences.
- Look for deviation in implementation from the plan and also look for the appropriateness and completeness of the plan to enable the execution, i.e., "Do".
- Charting data can make this much easier to see trends over several PDCA cycles and in order to convert the collected data into information.
- Information is what you need for the next step "ACTION".
ACTION
- If the CHECK shows that the PLAN that was implemented in DO is an improvement to the prior standard (baseline), then that becomes the new standard (baseline) for how the organization should ACTION going forward.
- If the CHECK shows that the PLAN that was implemented in DO is not an improvement, then the existing standard (baseline) will remain in place.
- In either case, if the CHECK showed something different than expected (whether better or worse), then there is some more learning to be done and that will suggest potential future PDCA cycles.
- Note that some who teach PDCA assert that the ACTION involves making adjustments or corrective actions but generally it would be counter to PDCA thinking to propose and decide upon alternative changes without using a proper PLAN phase, or to make them the new standard (baseline) without going through DO and CHECK steps.
2. WHEN TO USE PDCA CYCLE?
- As a model for continuous improvement.
- When starting a new improvement project.
- When developing a new or improved design of a process, product or service.
- When defining a repetitive work process.
- When planning data collection and analysis in order to verify and prioritize problems or root causes.
- When implementing any change.
MKR
PLAN
- Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the expected output (the target or goals).
- By establishing output expectations, the completeness and accuracy of the specification is also a part of the targeted improvement.
DO
- Implement the plan, execute the process, and implement.
- Collect data for charting and analysis in the following "CHECK" and "ACTION" steps.
CHECK
- Study the actual results (measured and collected in "DO" above) and compare against the expected results (targets or goals from the "PLAN") to ascertain any differences.
- Look for deviation in implementation from the plan and also look for the appropriateness and completeness of the plan to enable the execution, i.e., "Do".
- Charting data can make this much easier to see trends over several PDCA cycles and in order to convert the collected data into information.
- Information is what you need for the next step "ACTION".
ACTION
- If the CHECK shows that the PLAN that was implemented in DO is an improvement to the prior standard (baseline), then that becomes the new standard (baseline) for how the organization should ACTION going forward.
- If the CHECK shows that the PLAN that was implemented in DO is not an improvement, then the existing standard (baseline) will remain in place.
- In either case, if the CHECK showed something different than expected (whether better or worse), then there is some more learning to be done and that will suggest potential future PDCA cycles.
- Note that some who teach PDCA assert that the ACTION involves making adjustments or corrective actions but generally it would be counter to PDCA thinking to propose and decide upon alternative changes without using a proper PLAN phase, or to make them the new standard (baseline) without going through DO and CHECK steps.
2. WHEN TO USE PDCA CYCLE?
- As a model for continuous improvement.
- When starting a new improvement project.
- When developing a new or improved design of a process, product or service.
- When defining a repetitive work process.
- When planning data collection and analysis in order to verify and prioritize problems or root causes.
- When implementing any change.
MKR
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