What are the best ways to prioritize corrective actions from failure analysis findings?

1 Use a risk-based approach

One of the most common and useful ways to prioritize corrective actions is to use a risk-based approach, such as the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) or the risk priority number (RPN). These methods help you assess the severity, occurrence, and detectability of each failure mode, and assign a numerical score to indicate the level of risk. The higher the score, the higher the priority for corrective action. A risk-based approach can help you focus on the failures that have the most impact on safety, quality, performance, and customer satisfaction.

2 Consider the cost-benefit ratio

Another factor to consider when prioritizing corrective actions is the cost-benefit ratio, or the return on investment (ROI) of each action. This means comparing the expected costs of implementing the corrective action, such as materials, labor, equipment, and downtime, with the expected benefits, such as reduced failures, improved quality, increased productivity, and enhanced reputation. The higher the cost-benefit ratio, the higher the priority for corrective action. A cost-benefit analysis can help you optimize your resources and justify your decisions to stakeholders.

3 Apply the Pareto principle

A third way to prioritize corrective actions is to apply the Pareto principle, or the 80/20 rule. This principle states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes, or in other words, a few key factors account for most of the outcomes. In failure analysis, this means identifying the most frequent or significant failure modes that contribute to the majority of the defects, failures, or quality issues. By focusing on these vital few, you can achieve the most improvement with the least effort. A Pareto analysis can help you visualize and rank the failure modes by their frequency or impact.

4 Involve the relevant stakeholders

A fourth way to prioritize corrective actions is to involve the relevant stakeholders, such as the customers, suppliers, engineers, operators, managers, and regulators. These stakeholders may have different perspectives, expectations, and requirements regarding the failures and the corrective actions. By engaging them in the prioritization process, you can gain valuable insights, feedback, and support for your corrective actions. You can also avoid potential conflicts, misunderstandings, or dissatisfaction among the stakeholders. A stakeholder analysis can help you identify and communicate with the key stakeholders for each corrective action.

5 Monitor and review the results

A fifth way to prioritize corrective actions is to monitor and review the results of your actions, and adjust your priorities accordingly. This means measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of your corrective actions, such as whether they have eliminated or reduced the failures, improved the quality, increased the productivity, or enhanced the customer satisfaction. It also means checking for any unintended consequences, such as new failures, side effects, or trade-offs. By monitoring and reviewing the results, you can verify if your priorities are aligned with your goals, and if you need to modify or update your corrective actions.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?