What is the Reverse FMEA?

Reverse FMEA in its simplest form is a bottom-up validation. When you create an FMEA you are starting from an ideal top-down perspective because the FMEA sets the cadence for the control plan, the work instructions, and eventually will end up on the floor.

However, with Reverse FMEA you are going to the floor. The way that you should think about it is you are validating your FMEA so it is really a ‘go and see’ about the process that you theorized right up above and what you’re looking for is deltas, changes, or variances.

What format should we use for the Reverse FMEA?

The simple answer is, there is no magical pre-prescribed format. Some of the better guidance are found in your Customer Specific Requirements, but not all your customers will have CSRs around Reverse FMEA. It is largely going to be up to you, in conjunction with your CSRs to figure out how best to accomplish it.

What is the purpose of Reverse FMEA?

Let’s bring you back again to purpose, the purpose of the Reverse FMEA is to validate the assumptions you made when you created the FMEA and see if they are still valid.

What actions does the Reverse FMEA involve?

Some of the things that you will do during a Reverse FMEA is you will look at the standardized work that is going on in the operation. You are going to check and challenge, some of the Poka-Yokes that you had put in as preventative and you are going to be looking at the performance assumptions, you made early in the program. You then need to determine if the performance assumptions still held so it’s largely up to you to determine how.

We have entire other videos on how to do this, but I think that it’s important that we demystify the Reverse FMEA. A lot of people think that it’s a structured ritualized approach when it is a rough set of guidelines.

You can use the Reverse FMEA to validate the assumptions you made when it came to your initial risk profile. To learn more check out trainings here at Plexus International on FMEA,  Reverse FMEA, and more.