Concepts

Tasks

Settings

Overview of Performing Design FMECAs

This section summarizes the steps involved in recording a design FMECA in APM. Links are provided to topics that describe each task in detail.

Set up the Hierarchy, Create and Plan the Analysis

You can organize FMECAs into a hierarchy with a top analysis and as many hierarchy nodes and child analyses as needed. For more information:

•	Setting up a Hierarchy for Design FMECAs

Starting an analysis in APM involves selecting the asset type to be analyzed. Analyses can be performed on any type of asset type, with the exception of components. You can select an analysis type (a set of predefined options), change the default analysis type, or select options manually.

For more information:

•	Creating a Design FMECA

Once you have created the analysis record, you can select the Planning view and enter the objectives and scope of the analysis, identify its boundaries and scenarios, define decision criteria for treatment of failure modes, determine documentation and reporting requirements, and define the resource requirements for the analysis.

For more information, see:

•	Planning a Design FMECA

It is a good idea to review the new analysis’ settings to ensure that they are appropriate for the asset and process. For more information:

•	Setting Failure Mode Options for a Design FMECA

•	Setting Risk Analysis Options for a Design FMECA

Record the Primary Asset’s Operating Context

The analysis team will find it helpful to define the circumstances in which the asset operates before they define its functions. Recording the operating context in APM involves selecting a brief description from the list of supplied values and then entering the detailed operating context statement, including how and where the asset is used and the performance criteria that apply to output, throughput, safety, environmental integrity, and so on.

For more information:

•	Recording the Asset’s Operating Context on a Design FMECA

Manage the Analysis

APM provides tools to help you manage the analysis project, from recording team members, to documenting meetings, to recording comments. For more information:

•	Adding Team Members to a Design FMECA

•	Entering and Reviewing Comments on a Design FMECA

•	Recording Team Meetings on a Design FMECA

•	Working with the Design FMECA Checklist

Develop Functions, Functional Failures, and Failure Modes

A clear statement of all of the functions of each element is required to form the basis of the FMECA. Each function of an element should be considered separately in the analysis.

The performance standard for each identified function should be defined in order to be able to decide what constitutes a failure, and hence to identify failure modes. The function of each element should be derived from the functional specification or other available sources.

The performance standard selected should represent the level of performance essential to achieve the function of the element in the context of use of the item or process rather than the capability of the element. The performance standard should be expressed unambiguously and if possible quantitatively.

In APM, you can use the analysis’ Information worksheet to define each asset’s functions, functional failures, failure modes, and failure effects. As the analysis progresses, you might wish to renumber failure modes, functions, functional failures, or a combination.

For more information:

•	Developing Design FMECA Functions and Failure Modes

•	Renumbering Design FMECA Objects

Analyze Risk and Evaluate Consequences

The team can perform failure mode risk assessment, depending on the requirements of the asset. They can also record failure data, especially if you intend to use Isograph Availability Workbench to optimize reliability programs. In APM, the Evaluation tab is used to perform the consequence evaluation and arrive at a recommended strategy. They can also evaluate the economic feasibility of implementing the recommended task.

The team can then provide detailed information about the failure mode’s action plan. The information includes the recommended action type, a description of the action, and, depending on the type of action, the P-F interval, failure-finding interval, task frequency, trade, asset operating conditions, indicators, recommended modifications, and so on.

Recommended Actions

The following action types are supported:

•

Condition-Based Maintenance entails checking for potential failures so that action can be taken to prevent the functional failure or to avoid the consequences of the functional failure. On-condition tasks are so called because the items that are inspected are left in service on the condition that they continue to meet specified performance standards

•	Failure-Finding Maintenance involves checking a hidden function at regular intervals to find out whether it has failed. The intervals are calculated based on the required availability of the asset and the reliability of the protected function

•	Modification/Redesign is any one-time change to the equipment, training, maintenance or operating procedures, and so on

•	No Scheduled Maintenance means assets are left in service until a functional failure occurs, at which point they are repaired or replaced

•	Scheduled Restoration entails restoring the initial capability of an existing asset at or before a specified age limit, regardless of its apparent condition at the time

•	Scheduled Discard entails discarding an asset at or before a specified age limit, regardless of its condition at the time

•	To Be Analyzed Separately means the failure mode will be analyzed on a different analysis

•	To Be Determined is the default selection, and it means that an action type could not be determined at the time and further investigation is required

You can create or copy one or more maintenance action plans that describe failure modes and effects, as well as the recommended actions to prevent or mitigate the failures.

For more information:

•	Performing Design FMECA Failure Mode Risk Analysis

•	Performing Design FMECA Risk Analysis with Weighted Severities

•	Recording Failure Data for Design FMECAs

•	Evaluating Design FMECA Failure Mode Consequences

•	Copying Design FMECA Failure Modes

Develop and Implement Action Plans

You can evaluate the economic feasibility of implementing the proposed maintenance tasks. Then develop the action plans for the selected strategy by describing tasks, determining frequencies, and more.

In some cases, you might need to create secondary action plans for failure modes. For example, a failure mode might require a condition-based maintenance task to check for signs of wear, a secondary modification for procedures (for example, training for maintenance personnel), and scheduled restoration in the future. You can add secondary actions as you are developing the analysis, or you can add them later.

For more information:

•	Evaluating the Feasibility of Design FMECA Maintenance Tasks

•	Developing Primary FMECA Action Plans

•	Creating Secondary FMECA Action Plans

Add Indicator Templates to Action Plans

You can add indicator templates to list the indicators to be read to perform asset inspection.

For more information:

•	Adding Indicator Templates to FMECA Action Plans

Add Task and Job Templates and Documents to Action Plans

Depending on the type of action, you can create or select one or more corrective task or job templates to support the recommended action. If the asset is to be modified or redesigned, you can assign a standard document to the action plan.

For more information:

•	Adding Task and Job Templates to FMECA Action Plans

•	Adding Standard Documents to FMECA Action Plans

Add Critical Parts to Action Plans

For all types of analyses and recommended actions, you can add a list of the materials needed to perform the action. Select from the parts catalog or define non-cataloged items, providing their part IDs, names, and quantities.

If you maintain a resource catalog in APM (and interoperability is not enabled for the site), you can select material resources from the catalog.

You can also develop a catalog of parts for use in the site’s analyses.

Note: To use this functionality in APM, you must enable feature 42. In the Enterprise window, select the Customization Center view and the Enabled Features tab. Click Browse, select “Support for critical parts identification on a maintenance action plan”, and click OK. If APM is running as a smart client, click Refresh Enabled Features on the server. Then restart the client to use the functionality.

For more information, see Adding Critical Parts to FMECA Action Plans.

Using Isograph Availability Workbench

Using the integration functionality in APM, you can export failure modes from analyses in APM to the Isograph Availability Workbench (AWB), where you can analyze and optimize the data. You can then import optimization results into the APM analysis, review the recommendations in the Optimization view, and make appropriate changes to the action plans.

 

Before you can export failure modes, you must have installed the Availability Workbench with a valid license. Your APM license must include the Reliability Strategy Development and Implementation and Performance Management modules, and the modules must be active on the sites where you want to use the functionality.

For information about using this functionality, see APM Integration Guide for Isograph Availability Workbench.

Work With the Decision Diagram

The decision diagram provides a graphical representation of the results of the analysis. The diagram contains 27 decision boxes, each representing the answer to a question or series of questions associated with the failure mode evaluation. Included in each box is a count of the failure modes that answered the questions positively and the percentage that the count represents of the number of failure modes analyzed.

For more information:

•	Viewing the Decision Diagram for a Design FMECA

When you are working on an individual maintenance action plan, you can select the Details tab to see where it fits into the decision diagram.

Copy Functions and Failure Modes

Whether you are developing failure modes or action plans, you can use the Copy Failure Mode wizard to copy functions, functional failures, failure modes, and action plans to similar asset types. The wizard is especially useful when you have analyzed one branch of the asset hierarchy (for example, the many assets associated with haul truck #1) and then wish to copy the failure modes to a similar set of assets (haul truck #2). During implementation, use the wizard to efficiently update failure modes by copying indicator templates, task templates, job templates, and procedures into the target analysis.

For more information:

•	Copying Design FMECA Failure Modes

Monitor the Status of Analyses

Monitor the status of an analysis by reviewing failure modes and marking them “Facilitation Completed” and “Implementation Completed”. When implementation has been completed for all of its failure modes, change the analysis’ status to “Analysis Completed”.

For more information:

•	Changing the Status of FMECA Failure Modes and Analyses

View Information About the Analysis

At any time, you can review analysis summaries or detailed information about an analysis’ status and history. The Analysis Summary view provides information about the analysis’ assets, action plans, indicators, tasks, and jobs. The Implementation view provides a list of action plans, their failure modes, recommended actions, corrective tasks, and indicators.

You can also print several reports from the analysis, including lists of action plan details, functions, functional failures, and failure modes. You can also print the decision worksheet and decision diagram.

For more information:

•	Viewing Information About a Design FMECA

•	Printing Design FMECA Reports