FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis)
Definition
Systematic methodology for identifying potential failure modes in a system, assessing their severity and likelihood, and implementing mitigation strategies.
Why It Matters
- Industry standard risk assessment tool for battery systems
- Required for safety-critical applications
- Identifies single-point failures requiring redundancy
- Documents safety rationale and design decisions
Common Pitfalls
- Not involving cross-functional team (missing failure modes)
- Not updating FMEA as design evolves
- Not implementing mitigations for high-risk failure modes
- Treating FMEA as documentation exercise rather than design tool