FMEA Reference Architecture: Data Model, Deployment Choice and Standards-Aligned Interoperability

An FMEA system should be built around one canonical model, the Structure → Function → Failure chain from the 7-step method in the AIAG & VDA FMEA Handbook (1st edition, 2019). The spreadsheet is something you produce from that model, never the model itself. Choosing between browser and installed Windows/Linux use is mainly a decision about where data lives, who controls it and what happens when you are offline, because the method and fields stay the same either way. Align the vocabulary with IEC 60812:2018 and SAE J1739:2021, and treat the Excel export (Office Open XML, ECMA-376 / ISO/IEC 29500) as the agreed format for exchanging files with customers and auditors.

Web vs. installed desktop (decision criteria)

use the browser when several people or sites need the same analysis and your data policy allows hosted storage. Use the installed Windows/Linux edition when the analysis is under export control, sits on an air-gapped network or is covered by a customer NDA that forbids third-party hosting. Before you decide, list the data classification, the retention period, who owns the master copy and how backups are taken (on the desktop, the local database file is the master and has to be inside your backup scope).

Interoperability checklist

(1) Freeze the Structure, Function and Failure catalogs before analysts start, so the same failure mode is not entered under different wording. (2) Check that the exported workbook keeps S, O, D, Action Priority, responsible person and target date in separate columns that can be filtered. (3) Open the export in your customer's spreadsheet tool and confirm that hierarchy and line breaks are still readable. (4) Archive each export as a dated baseline. It is evidence of a frozen state, not a second master that people edit.

Illustrative analytical scenario (not a measured result)

a supplier has 3 plants and about 40 legacy PFMEAs that use RPN. Boundary conditions: pilot one production line, keep the legacy files read-only and migrate only after the line's catalogs are frozen. Recovery: if the pilot team rejects the new structure, the last exported workbook and the untouched legacy files are your rollback point. Expansion to the other plants starts only after the migrated High-AP items match on a review sample.

How do I migrate a legacy RPN-based FMEA to Action Priority without losing traceability?

Bring over the original S, O and D ratings, not the RPN. In the AIAG & VDA 2019 handbook, Action Priority is a lookup table on the S/O/D combination, so it cannot be calculated from RPN, and the same RPN can map to different AP levels. Recalculate AP and review every item that comes out as High, especially those with S of 9 or 10. Record any rating changes along with the reason. To verify, sample migrated lines against the source files, then export a dated baseline workbook. Keep the legacy file read-only until the review is signed off, so you can go back to it.

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Engineering & Architecture Brief

FMEA Reference Architecture: Data Model, Deployment Choice and Standards-Aligned Interoperability

An FMEA system should be built around one canonical model, the Structure → Function → Failure chain from the 7-step method in the AIAG & VDA FMEA Handbook (1st edition, 2019). The spreadsheet is something you produce from that model, never the model itself. Choosing between browser and installed Windows/Linux use is mainly a decision about where data lives, who controls it and what happens when you are offline, because the method and fields stay the same either way. Align the vocabulary with IEC 60812:2018 and SAE J1739:2021, and treat the Excel export (Office Open XML, ECMA-376 / ISO/IEC 29500) as the agreed format for exchanging files with customers and auditors.

Web vs. installed desktop (decision criteria)

use the browser when several people or sites need the same analysis and your data policy allows hosted storage. Use the installed Windows/Linux edition when the analysis is under export control, sits on an air-gapped network or is covered by a customer NDA that forbids third-party hosting. Before you decide, list the data classification, the retention period, who owns the master copy and how backups are taken (on the desktop, the local database file is the master and has to be inside your backup scope).

Interoperability checklist

(1) Freeze the Structure, Function and Failure catalogs before analysts start, so the same failure mode is not entered under different wording. (2) Check that the exported workbook keeps S, O, D, Action Priority, responsible person and target date in separate columns that can be filtered. (3) Open the export in your customer's spreadsheet tool and confirm that hierarchy and line breaks are still readable. (4) Archive each export as a dated baseline. It is evidence of a frozen state, not a second master that people edit.

Illustrative analytical scenario (not a measured result)

a supplier has 3 plants and about 40 legacy PFMEAs that use RPN. Boundary conditions: pilot one production line, keep the legacy files read-only and migrate only after the line's catalogs are frozen. Recovery: if the pilot team rejects the new structure, the last exported workbook and the untouched legacy files are your rollback point. Expansion to the other plants starts only after the migrated High-AP items match on a review sample.

Technical FAQ: How do I migrate a legacy RPN-based FMEA to Action Priority without losing traceability?

Bring over the original S, O and D ratings, not the RPN. In the AIAG & VDA 2019 handbook, Action Priority is a lookup table on the S/O/D combination, so it cannot be calculated from RPN, and the same RPN can map to different AP levels. Recalculate AP and review every item that comes out as High, especially those with S of 9 or 10. Record any rating changes along with the reason. To verify, sample migrated lines against the source files, then export a dated baseline workbook. Keep the legacy file read-only until the review is signed off, so you can go back to it.

Related Architecture Specifications (FMEATOOL): fmeatool.com · freefmea.com