Top-down (Quick FMECA)

In cases when the whole system structure is still undecided, or when budget limitations only allow for a phased approach towards an asset strategy, the top-down approach can be used. The Quick FMECA as top-down approach typically focuses on defining high system functions. For these functions, it is identified how they can fail, and what the impact would be on the system's performance if they failed. The highest impact is typically analyzed first. Impact is always considered in relation to business goals of the company. It is then decided whether the impact of functional failure would be acceptable or not. As a next step, for high impact functions, a bottom-up FMECA could be performed.

Other functionalities of Asset Strategy Optimization that support FMECA are listed below. Some of these are managed in the desktop version.

• Business objectives: To perform an FMECA analysis a risk matrix must be defined and selected, that will be based on the company’s business objectives (like production, downtime, safety, and environment goals) and the effects that failure of function of the system will have on each of the objectives.

• Effect analysis and risk matrix. An effect analysis results in a set of risk profiles, one for each business objective. These are expressed in the form of a risk matrix, defined in the desktop version. In the web interface, you can select an existing risk matrix defined for an FMECA System. The risk matrix will already have the business objectives and factor classifications defined. Then, you can use the other FMECA functions to build the risk profiles.

• Optimize Maintenance: An FMECA effect analysis is often performed to develop and optimize a maintenance strategy, aiming at optimal investments on preventive maintenance, based on the assessed risk profiles in the risk matrix.