risk Archives - Quality During Design

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Supplements Test

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is not a substitute for product test. It can be used as a supplement to design and test. We talk about when to work with Quality Engineers and Reliability Engineers for next steps.

UFMEA vs. DFMEA

UFMEA vs. DFMEA, the power tools of concept development. What are the similarities and differences? How do they relate, and do we need both?

Internal Customers vs. External Customers

We talk about customers of design information. It takes many people to realize a product design into something that can be sold and used. Those people need design information to ensure that they’re performing their tasks to produce a high-quality product, and to be able to use our product appropriately. We review who our customers…

Risk Barriers as Swiss Cheese?

There’s a model that can help us visualize and consider the different barriers to harm: The Swiss Cheese Model of Accident Causation. Learn what makes up this model and how ideas are represented. There are also different ways that the model is being used today. How can we design for controls, policies, or actions that are part of the use of our product but outside of our control?

How many controls do we need to reduce risk?

When we’ve identified a risk to our design or user process – and that risk can pose a potential harm – how many controls do we need to add? We discuss prevention vs. detection controls, ALARP, as low as possible, and some scenarios where we could (and maybe couldn’t) justify a risk as acceptable without…

Remaking Risk-Based Decisions: Allowing Ourselves to Change our Minds.

We can use FMEA to help us make risk-based decisions about our product within changing and evolving use environments and scenarios.