FMEA: A systematic analysis of a process used to identify potential
failures and to prevent their occurrence.
Potential Failure mode: The manner in which the process could
potentially fail to meet the process requirements.
Potential Failure Effect: The effects of the failure mode on the customer.
Severity: An assessment of the seriousness of a failure mode. Severity
applies to the effects only.
Cause: How the failure could occur, described in terms of something
that can be corrected or controlled.
Occurrence: The likelihood that a specific failure mode is projected to
occur.
Detection: The effectiveness of current process controls to identify the
failure mode (or the failure effect) prior to occurring, prior to release
to production, or prior to shipment to the customer.
RPN -- Risk Priority Number: The product of Severity, Occurrence &
Detection