Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic, proactive risk management methodology used to identify potential failure modes in a system, process, design, or service, assess their causes and effects, and prioritize actions to mitigate risks. It involves analyzing each component or step to determine how it might fail, the consequences of that failure, and the likelihood and detectability of such failures. FMEA is widely applied in engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, and software development to improve reliability, safety, and quality.
Developers should learn and use FMEA when designing or maintaining critical systems, such as in safety-critical software, medical devices, automotive systems, or aerospace applications, to prevent defects and ensure robustness. It is particularly valuable in agile or DevOps environments where continuous integration and deployment require early risk identification to avoid costly failures in production. By applying FMEA, teams can prioritize testing efforts, enhance code reviews, and implement preventive measures based on risk scores derived from severity, occurrence, and detection ratings.