Associated Analyses and Diagrams

This topic describes the analyses and diagrams that can be associated with any item in the system hierarchy.

Available Analyses

The available analyses are summarized below. To add an analysis for an item, select the item and click the appropriate command on the Insert tab of the Ribbon. You can also right-click the item name and choose an analysis from the Analyses submenu.

A (DFR) Planner helps you manage and track the progress of a Design for Reliability (DFR) process.

An Analysis Plan allows you to keep track of team members, ground rules and assumptions, estimated completion dates, scheduled work sessions and other details to help you plan and manage your analysis projects.

A Risk Discovery Analysis is a preliminary analysis that can involve answering questions and/or assigning ratings about possible risks. It can help you to choose which items should receive more detailed consideration via a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) or reliability centered maintenance (RCM) analysis.

A Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a methodology designed to identify potential failure modes for a product or process, to assess the risk associated with those failure modes, to rank the issues in terms of importance and to identify and carry out corrective actions to address the most serious concerns.

Design Review Based on Failure Mode (DRBFM) is a methodology used to evaluate proposed changes to an existing design. It was developed by Tatsuhiko Yoshimura, working with Toyota Motor Corporation. DRBFM uses a worksheet similar to the FMEA worksheet, but it typically focuses on the failure modes that might be introduced by a specific change to a product or process.

A Design Verification Plan and Report (DVP&R) is a worksheet that is used to track the progress of design verification tests.

A PFD Worksheet captures details about what happens to the item in each step of its manufacturing or assembly process, and it records the product and process characteristics that are important to keep under control. The information from this worksheet can be used as an input to the process FMEA (PFMEA) and control plan for the item.

A Control Plan is used to keep track of characteristics that affect a product during the manufacturing process to ensure that the desired product specifications are met during the manufacturing process. It is often integrated with the PFD worksheet and/or process FMEA.

Available Diagrams

The available diagrams are summarized below. To create a diagram, choose System Hierarchy > Diagrams > [Diagram Type].

A Process Flow Diagram is a high level chart that helps you visualize the steps that a product goes through in a manufacturing or assembly process. You can create a blank diagram or base one on the FMEA or control plan associated with the item.

Tip: If you want to use a process flow diagram as a starting point for preparing process FMEAs (PFMEAs) or control plans, then the PFD worksheet may be a more appropriate tool. The PFD worksheet integrates the chart into a worksheet that records more detailed information about each step in the process and it allows you to synchronize the relevant information with the FMEA or control plan analysis. See PFD Worksheets.

An FMEA Block Diagram (Boundary Diagram) helps to define the scope of a particular analysis project and also may provide additional information that will be useful to the analysis team when they attempt to identify potential failure modes. You can create a blank diagram or base one on the system hierarchy.

A Cause and Effect Diagram helps you visualize the relationships among the events described in your analysis. When you select an item and choose System Hierarchy > Diagrams > Cause and Effect Diagram, the diagram will be constructed based on the events described in the FMEA for that item.