Design Process Error Proofing: Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of the Design Process

Abstract

This paper presents a new application of failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) on design processes. Our research develops error-proofing methods for the product development process to prevent serious design errors that can compromise project features, time to market, or cost. Design process FMEA is a systematic method which allows product development teams to proactively predict potential problems. The method decomposes the design process into six potential problem areas—knowledge, analysis, communication, execution, change, and organization errors—with a question-based FMEA approach. The paper explains the method, illustrates it through a case study, and discusses its effectiveness. The paper concludes with the proposed work to address design process error-proofing solutions.