About the project
For the first time as a supplier, WEB was tasked with executing a complete Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (pFMEA) for a specific module and its full installation and de-installation process.
The assignment came with significant challenges: limited available data, no existing design as a baseline, scattered stakeholder input, and a strict deadline. Despite these constraints, WEB was determined to deliver a structured, risk-based approach that would ensure process robustness from the start.
The task
WEB was responsible for preparing and facilitating the entire pFMEA, from defining process steps to identifying, ranking, and mitigating potential risks, while coordinating input across multiple stakeholder groups.
Key challenges included:
- Incomplete process steps for the module installation.
- Absence of an existing design, leaving no prior risk foundation.
- Need to align with multiple teams to ensure engagement during brainstorming and ranking sessions.
How we worked
WEB applied a structured and data-driven methodology to handle uncertainty while maintaining project pace and quality.
- Investigation – Collected all available technical data, including module drawings, draft installation instructions, tooling requirements, and handling constraints.
- Documentation – Structured the findings into a detailed step-by-step description of the entire install/deinstall process, creating a technical slide deck for cross-functional review.
- Workshops – Organized collaborative workshops to review each process step, brainstorm potential failure modes, and define their causes and effects.
- Ranking sessions – Facilitated structured ranking sessions with all stakeholders to evaluate failure modes based on Severity, Occurrence, and Detection criteria, ensuring prioritized and actionable mitigations.
The solution
Despite being a first-time effort with limited information and a tight timeline, the pFMEA was delivered on schedule. The structured approach enabled:
- A comprehensive risk overview used to refine process documentation and tooling details.
- Clear alignment between installation instructions and identified risks.
- Early detection of potential failure modes, allowing proactive mitigation and preventing downtime.
- A transparent, data-driven risk assessment framework that accelerated decision-making.
All mitigation actions have since been implemented, and the risk-based improvements are now fully integrated into the updated procedures, ensuring a more robust and reliable process for future module installations.
