By David Marden, Phil Hannan and Myron Olstein

The Six Sigma methodology contains many tools that can be used successfully throughout an organization to improve processes and prevent failures, regardless of whether the full DMAIC roadmap is used. Demonstrating the efficacy of these tools for preventing or solving real business problems is a powerful way to market Six Sigma. Two of these tools, process maps and the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), were applied in the following case study. A team at a wastewater utility used them to prepare for possible issues in the wake of retiring staff, and in the process helped ready the facility to face a powerful natural disaster.
Case Study: Virginia Wastewater Utility.

By Robert Tripp

While the name of the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) concentrates on how a process fails, the real objective is to concentrate on assessing the effects and process controls for the root causes related to any given failure mode. Practitioners examine the root cause-failure-effect sequence by starting in the middle and working outward. During this evaluation, they not only discover root causes and prioritize them for action to eliminate risk, but they also come away with a valuable documentation of how the particular process works.
Assessing the Risks

By Dr. Deborah L. Smith

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a proactive tool, technique and quality method that enables the identification and prevention of process or product errors before they occur. Within healthcare, the goal is to avoid adverse events that could potentially cause harm to patients, families, employees or others in the patient care setting.

As a tool embedded within Six Sigma methodology, FMEA can help identify and eliminate concerns early in the development of a process or new service delivery. It is a systematic way to examine a process prospectively for possible ways in which failure can occur, and then to redesign the processes so that the new model eliminates the possibility of failure. Properly executed, FMEA can assist in improving overall satisfaction and safety levels. There are many ways to evaluate the safety and quality of healthcare services, but when trying to design a safe care environment, a proactive approach is far preferable to a reactive approach.
Further Definitions of FMEA.

براي تحقق اهداف ، سازمان هاي امروزي از ابزاري به نام "روش هاي تجزيه و تحليل عوامل شکست و آثار آنها " يا FMEA استفاده مي کنند و مطمئن مي شوند که محصولي بدون عيب و قابل رقابت به بازار عرضه مي کنند.با استفاده از اين ابزار کارآمد، ميتوان حالات بالقوه خرابي در سيستم ، فرايند، محصول و خدمت را شناسايي و اولويت بندي کرد ، اقدامات لازم براي حذف يا کاهش ميزان وقوع حالات بالقوه خرابي را تعريف و تعيين کرد ودر نهايت ، نتايج تحليل هاي انجام شده را با هدف تهيه مرجعي کامل براي حل مشکلات آتي، به ثبت رساند.

توليدكننده اي را تجسم نمائيد كه در يكي از محصولات توليديش ، عيوب متعددي موجود مي باشد و مديران ا رشد آن در صدد انجام اقدمات اصلاحي و رفع اين عيوب مي باشند . مسلم است كه در چنين حالتي سازمان مي بايست سعي نمايد با صرف كمترين منابع ، بيشترين بهبود را ايجاد نمايد و اين كارآيي بالا ميسر نخواهد بود مگر از طريق اولويت بندي عيوب بر اساس يكسري اطلاعات علمي و

قابل اطمينان به نحوي كه بتوان انجام اقدامات اصلاحي را به گونه اي شايسته و كارآ برنامه ريزي نمود.هدف از تحقيق حاضر ، طراحي مدلي علمي و اجرايي است كه با بهره گيري از آن بتوان عيوب متعدد موجود در يك محصول را اولويت بندي و در نتيجه بحراني ترين عيوب را شناسايي نمود