failure-mode-and-effects-analysis is a human-made systematic risk-assessment procedure that enumerates potential failure modes within a system or process, determines their causes and downstream effects, and ranks them by severity, occurrence frequency, and detectability to prioritize preventive measures. It is carved by: (1) a structured enumeration of failure modes at the component or process-step level, (2) causal analysis tracing each mode to its origin, (3) effect analysis mapping each mode to its impact on system function, and (4) a risk-priority scoring system (severity x occurrence x detectability) that orders interventions. It persists through documented FMEA worksheets, standardized checklists, and institutionalized review cycles in engineering and operations practice. [formal: fma | substrate: behavior | horizon: hours | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
failure-mode-and-effects-analysis
failure-mode-and-effects-analysis is a human-made systematic risk-assessment procedure that enumerates potential failure modes within a system or process, determines their causes and downstream effects, and ranks them by severity, occurren…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made systematic risk-assessment method that identifies potential failure modes in a system or process, analyzes their causes and effects, and prioritizes them by severity, occurrence, and detectability to guide preventive action.
Names and aliases
- failure-mode-and-effects-analysisen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cms81mqtv00jeh6s8s7t3j6hyINSTANCE_OF →
FMEA IS a specific kind of risk-assessment: it systematically identifies potential failure modes, analyzes their causes and effects, and ranks them by severity, occurrence, and detectability. A competent speaker would call FMEA 'a risk-assessment method.' Pinned sense: risk-assessment as the general procedure for evaluating risks (Law 11d). Files against nearest kind per Law 11e.
- cms8a929t007573fkafm8ap7iSERVES →
FMEA is designed and maintained for the sake of risk-management: it enumerates failure modes, ranks them by severity/occurrence/detectability, and feeds that prioritized information directly into risk decisions and mitigation planning. The SERVES direction is correct — FMEA points at risk-management as its designed purpose.
- cms8vp46t02bw73fk0i3zar8rINSTANCE_OF →
FMEA is a systematic, structured method for identifying potential failure modes and their effects. It is a specific instance of the broader hazard-assessment practice. Law 9: FMEA is a specific kind of hazard assessment method.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 31, 2026, 2:34 AM UTC
- Content hash
- a9c223996283c66a9dcdc0e75dff085a0827d7633a51c74b5adecae08c2cb003