Manufacturing & Process template
FMEA Template (Failure Mode & Effects Analysis): Build & Export Free
Analyze how a product or process can fail, rank the risks and drive actions, then export a print-ready FMEA as a PDF, free to start.
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Overview
What is an FMEA?
An FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a structured method for finding the ways a product or process can fail before it does, identifying each potential failure mode, its effects and causes, and the controls in place, then rating the risk so the team can act on what matters most.
An FMEA is worked as a table. For each function, it lists the potential failure modes and their effects (rated for Severity), the causes (rated for Occurrence) and the current controls (rated for Detection), then prioritizes with a risk figure: the newer AIAG-VDA approach uses Action Priority (AP), the traditional one a Risk Priority Number (RPN). High-risk items get recommended actions, owners and a re-rating once the actions are done.
FMEAs come in two main forms, Design FMEA (DFMEA) for a product design and Process FMEA (PFMEA) for a manufacturing process, and are standard in automotive, aerospace and medical device work. A PFMEA feeds directly into the control plan (more below).
The fields
What to include in an FMEA
An FMEA that actually reduces risk is complete and consistently rated. These are the columns reviewers expect, and all of them are in the template.
FMEA header
The item or process, the team, the dates and the revision, so the analysis is identified and controlled.
Function or requirement
The function or requirement being analyzed: what the item or process is supposed to do.
Potential failure mode
The ways the function could fail to be met: the failure modes to analyze.
Effects and severity (S)
The effects of each failure mode and their Severity rating on a consistent scale.
Causes and occurrence (O)
The potential causes of each failure mode and their Occurrence rating.
Controls and detection (D)
The current prevention and detection controls, and the Detection rating.
Risk rating (AP or RPN)
The Action Priority (AIAG-VDA) or Risk Priority Number that ranks where to act first.
Recommended actions
The actions to reduce risk on the high-priority items, with owners and target dates.
Actions taken and results
What was actually done, and the result: the evidence the risk was addressed.
Re-rated risk
The Severity, Occurrence and Detection re-rated after the actions, to confirm the risk came down.
Step by step
How to fill out an FMEA
Four passes take you from a blank worksheet to a prioritized, actioned FMEA.
Define the item and function
Add the FMEA header and the function or requirement being analyzed: the design or process step and what it's meant to do.
Identify failure modes, effects and causes
For each function, list the potential failure modes, their effects and their causes, and the current prevention and detection controls.
Rate and prioritize
Rate Severity, Occurrence and Detection on consistent scales and let the Action Priority (or RPN) show where to act first.
Assign actions, re-rate and export
Add recommended actions with owners and dates, record what was done, re-rate the risk, then export a print-ready PDF.
Which one
FMEA vs. control plan
They're companion documents in the same quality toolkit. One finds and ranks the risks; the other controls them in production.
FMEA
Identifies how a product or process can fail, rates the risk (Severity, Occurrence, Detection) and drives actions to reduce it: an analysis and a to-do list.
Use to find, rank and act on failure risks in a design or process.
Control Plan
Documents how each product and process characteristic is controlled in production: spec, measurement, sample size, frequency and reaction plan.
Use to define the ongoing controls that keep the process in check.
See the Control Plan template →Get it right
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing failure modes without their effects and causes, so nothing can be rated or acted on.
- Inconsistent Severity, Occurrence and Detection scales across the team.
- Chasing the RPN number instead of acting on high-severity items and Action Priority.
- No recommended actions for the high-risk items: analysis with no follow-through.
- Not re-rating the risk after actions are taken.
- Treating the FMEA as one-time paperwork instead of a living document updated after changes.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is an FMEA?
An FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a structured method for identifying how a product or process can fail, the effects and causes of each failure mode, and the controls in place, then rating and prioritizing the risk so the team acts on what matters most.
What's the difference between DFMEA and PFMEA?
A DFMEA (Design FMEA) analyzes how a product's design could fail to meet its requirements. A PFMEA (Process FMEA) analyzes how a manufacturing process could fail to make the product correctly. They use the same method; the difference is whether the subject is the design or the process.
What's the difference between RPN and Action Priority (AP)?
RPN (Risk Priority Number) is Severity × Occurrence × Detection, a single number long used to rank risks. The newer AIAG-VDA approach replaces it with Action Priority (AP: High/Medium/Low), which weights severity more sensibly and points to where action is needed. Many teams now use AP; both aim to prioritize action.
What should an FMEA include?
A header, the function or requirement, potential failure modes, effects and Severity, causes and Occurrence, controls and Detection, a risk rating (AP or RPN), recommended actions with owners, actions taken, and re-rated risk. This template includes all of them.
How does an FMEA relate to a control plan?
A Process FMEA feeds the control plan: the causes and controls identified for high-risk failure modes become the characteristics the control plan then controls in production, with a specification, a measurement method, a sample plan and a reaction plan. The FMEA finds the risks; the control plan keeps them in check.
Related templates
Read the guideFMEA explained: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
FMEA is a structured method for identifying how a design or process can fail, how serious each failure is, and where to act first. Here’s how DFMEA and PFMEA work, the S/O/D ratings, and how risk is prioritized.
Read the guide →Documents that go with a FMEA
Control Plan
Documents key process steps, product or process characteristics, controls, measurement methods, sampling and reaction plans used to manage manufacturing quality.
Open template →PPAP Submission / Report
Organizes Production Part Approval Process submission information, evidence and references used to demonstrate production readiness against customer requirements.
Open template →Inspection Report
Records inspection characteristics, requirements, measurements, methods, evidence and acceptance results for a part, lot or product.
Open template →Build your FMEA now
Fill in the fields, apply your brand, and export a clean PDF. Free to start.
Note: This template gives you a structured worksheet for an FMEA. It does not perform the analysis or determine the risk for any specific product or process. You remain responsible for the accuracy of the failure modes, ratings and actions and for meeting your own quality system's and customer's requirements.