FMEA and risk analysis: Control risks and improve the safety of your aerospace products

In the aerospace industry, where every component, every process and every decision can have a major impact on safety, reliability is an absolute requirement, not just an option. Risk management and preventive quality are not empty words, but fundamental pillars on which public confidence and compliance with the most stringent regulations rest. At the heart of this approach to excellence lies FMEA, or Failure Mode, Effect and Criticality Analysis. This methodology, initially developed for the US military and subsequently adopted by the aerospace and automotive industries, has become an indispensable tool for anticipating, assessing and controlling potential failures before they occur. This article explores the essential link between FMEA and the safety of aeronautical products, detailing how it helps to navigate a complex standards environment, and how dedicated software solutions act as a lever for efficiency and compliance.

FMEA: a structured method to enhance safety

FMEA is a predictive and inductive method that provides a systematic framework for analyzing the reliability and safety of a system or product. Its main objective is to anticipate problems, identify potential risks and implement preventive or corrective measures before failures occur. To achieve this, FMEA focuses on three key questions:

• What could go wrong (failure mode)?
• What would be the consequences if it did? (Effects of failure)
• What is the severity and probability of these effects (criticality)?

To assess the level of risk, the method uses a quantitative approach, scoring three key factors, generally on a scale of 1 to 10:

• Severity (G): The impact of the failure on the customer, safety or compliance.
• Occurrence (O): The probability or frequency of occurrence of the failure.
• Detection (D): The effectiveness of the system in detecting the problem before it has consequences.

Criticality, often called Risk Priority Index (RPI), is then calculated by multiplying these three scores: RPN=G×O×D

The higher the score, the more critical the risk and the higher the priority for action. FMEA is a collaborative tool that draws on the experience and expertise of a multi-disciplinary team to exhaustively identify a system's failure modes and weaknesses.

FMEA, a compass in the aeronautical standards ecosystem

FMEA is much more than a simple risk management method; it is an essential tool for complying with the rigorous standards and regulations governing the aerospace industry. Regulators and customers demand documented proof that risks have been proactively identified and managed, and FMEA is one of the most effective ways of demonstrating this.

Standards and guidelines: IAQG 9145 and ARP4761

Two major standards illustrate the importance of FMEA in the sector:

• IAQG EN9145: Established by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), this standard defines the requirements for APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) and PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) in the aerospace and defense industry. APQP is a 5-phase process that extends from design to production, with the aim of detecting errors as early as possible and reducing risks. The PFMEA (Process FMEA) is one of the deliverables required by EN9145.
• ARP4761: This SAE International document provides guidelines and methods for conducting the safety assessment process for civil airborne systems and equipment. FMEA is a fundamental element of this process, used in conjunction with other safety analyses to identify single points of failure in a system and map how failures occur for each component.

The different types of FMEA in aeronautics

FMEA is not a monolithic method; there are several types, each with a distinct and complementary role in the life cycle of an aeronautical product:

• Product FMEA (DFMEA): Applied during the design phase of a product, to identify intrinsic weaknesses in its design. Its objective is to guarantee that the final product will be reliable and safe, by acting on the design before production.
• Process FMEA (PFMEA): Focuses on potential failures related to the manufacturing process or service operations. It aims to reduce inefficiencies and ensure compliance with quality standards throughout the production chain.
• FMEA Machine : Evaluates the reliability of production equipment and machinery, which is crucial for optimizing preventive maintenance.

The digital age: a strategic advantage for safety

In a sector as complex and regulated as aeronautics, the use of manual tools such as Excel to carry out FMEAs is a major source of inefficiency, lack of consistency and risk of human error. Audits can become a real headache, data is often obsolete or inconsistent, and collaboration between teams is hampered.

This is where dedicated software solutions, such as Skill FMEA Pro, come into their own. They act as a catalyst for optimizing risk management and enhancing safety. Specialized FMEA software offers a number of tangible benefits:

• Compliance and traceability: It ensures exhaustive documentation of analysis processes, decisions taken and actions implemented, which is essential for proving compliance with industry standards. It facilitates traceability of analyses and corrective and preventive actions.
• Centralization and consistency: The software centralizes data, ensuring consistency and accessibility for all stakeholders. This eliminates the risks associated with multiple files and data entry errors.
• Capitalization of know-how: Analyses and feedback are capitalized on, creating a knowledge base that can be reused for future projects. This reduces analysis time and makes processes more reliable.
• Advanced analysis: Dedicated software doesn't just store data; it offers advanced risk analysis functionalities, enabling root cause analysis for complex aeronautical systems. It can also integrate cross-functional auditing capabilities to diagnose and standardize design and manufacturing processes within the quality system.

FMEA, a requirement for safety and competitiveness

In the aeronautics industry, FMEA is more than just an analysis method; it's a culture of anticipation and rigor. By identifying design and process weaknesses upstream, it helps prevent failures, improve product reliability and guarantee compliance with the most demanding standards.

However, to take full advantage of this methodology, it is essential to overcome the limitations of traditional tools. The adoption of a specialized digital solution, such as Skill FMEA Pro, makes it possible to centralize, capitalize and secure data, while facilitating a more refined analysis of risks. In a sector where safety is non-negotiable, choosing the right tool is a strategic investment that translates into tangible gains in terms of reliability, compliance and competitiveness.