Analysis Plans
The Analysis Plan utility allows you to:
Define the tasks involved in your analysis and keep track of their completion.
Track the time spent working on the analysis and the members who have attended the sessions.
Track team members’ assessments of how effective the FMEA analysis process has been.
You can assign an analysis plan to an item at any level of the system hierarchy. For instance, if you want the entire project to be covered by one plan, you could assign an analysis plan only to the top-level system. Conversely, you might prefer to have a separate analysis plan for each subsystem.
Analysis Plan Window
To access the Analysis Plan window, select the item in the System panel that the analysis plan will be applied to, then choose Analyses > Planning > Add Analysis Plan.
You can manage analysis plans by clicking the Analysis Plan tab in the Analysis panel.
The Analysis Plan window consists of six tabs. The information on these tabs is included in the Analysis Plans Summary and Analysis Plan Details reports created in the Reports window. Each tab and its components are presented next.
Note that the name, description and status of the analysis plan are displayed at the top of all tabs. The status of the analysis plan is shown above the four dates fields and is based on the dates given in those fields:
Scheduled - This indicates that a starting date for the project has been defined but the project has not started (i.e., the planned start date is later than the current date, and no start date or completion date has been entered).
Late Start - This indicates that the planned starting date for the project has passed and the project has not started (i.e., the planned start date is later than the current data, and no actual start date or completion date has been entered).
In Progress - This indicates that the project is in progress and the due date has not arrived (i.e., the actual start date is earlier than the current date, and there is no completion date).
Overdue - This indicates that the project is in progress but the due date has passed (i.e., there is an actual start date, the current date is later than the due date, and there is no completion date).
Complete - This indicates that the project has been completed (i.e., there is a completion date).
Team Tab
The Team tab of the Analysis Plan window allows you to specify the members of the team who are involved with the project.
To add a team member, click inside a cell to enter their information. First Name, Last Name and Display Name are required fields. All others are optional. You can also import existing users as team members by clicking the Import Existing Users button and selecting existing database users. If you do so, or if you pick an existing user from the Display Name drop-down list, then the remaining fields (except for the Leader field) are populated with data and cannot be changed.
To mark whether a team member is a project leader, click inside the cell in the Leader column to select Yes or No using the drop-down list. More than one team member can be a project leader.
At the bottom of the Import Existing Users window is the Show database users only check box. If this check box is selected, then only users who have access to the database are displayed. Clear the check box to display the users who have access to the database and all persons who have been added as a team member to any analysis plan in the database.
What's Changed? Starting in Version 2020, the Role field has been made available for use on the Team tab. This field is intended to allow users to follow the AIAG & VDA FMEA Handbook released in 2019.
Analysis Checklist Tab
The Analysis Checklist tab allows you to define the tasks involved in your analysis and keep track of their completion.
You can work from an analysis checklist in the active library by selecting a checklist from the Reset Checklist from Library drop-down list, or you can create your own. If you create your own analysis checklist or make changes to one from the library, you can click the Save Checklist in Library button to name and store your new checklist in the library for future use.
You can enter estimated and actual completion dates for each task in the checklist. When you click in a date cell, you can enter a date manually or click the calendar icon and select a date in the calendar that appears.
In the bottom right corner of the window, you can estimate the level of completion of the analysis, either by entering your own estimate in the Completion Estimate field or by reviewing the automatically generated values that show the number of checklist tasks completed or the number of actions completed for the item(s) to which the analysis plan applies. These figures will refresh automatically whenever you make changes to the actual completion dates or in the analysis plan.
Ground Rules and Assumptions Tab
The Ground Rules and Assumptions tab of the Analysis Plan window allows you to list the information that all members of the analysis team will use to make judgments in the analysis.
You can work from a list of assumptions in the active library by selecting an assumptions list from the Reset Assumptions from Library drop-down list, or you can create your own. If you create your own list of assumptions or make changes to one from the library, you can click the Save Assumptions in Library button to name and store your new assumption list in the library for future use.
Conditions of Use Tab
The Conditions of Use tab allows you to list conditions under which you expect the product to be used (e.g,. Screen set to 75% brightness).
You can work from a list of conditions in the active library by selecting a list from the Reset Conditions from Library drop-down list, or you can create your own. If you create your own list of conditions or make changes to one from the library, you can click the Save Conditions in Library button to name and store your new conditions list in the library for future use.
Work Sessions Tab
The Work Sessions tab allows you to track the time spent working on the analysis and the members who have attended the sessions. The time can be entered using multiple formats (e.g., 8 AM, 3pm, 1700, etc.).
You can specify which members of the analysis team attended each work session listed by clicking the Enter Attendance button or by clicking a cell in the Attendance column to open the Enter Attendance window.
If you have made changes on the tab, the Total Work Session Time (Hours) field will update automatically. This calculation is based on the start and end times entered for each work session.
Quality Survey Tab
The Quality Survey tab allows you to track team members’ assessments of how effective the FMEA analysis process has been.
You can work from a survey in the active library by selecting a survey from the Reset Survey from Library drop-down list, or you can create your own. If you create your own survey or make changes to one from the library, you can click the Save Survey in Library button to open the Save Survey in Library window, which allows you to store your new survey in the library for future use.
Each user involved in the process may answer the survey questions after the analysis is complete. When you have the answers to the survey, click in the Average Rating cell for each question and enter the average rating, which must be a numerical value of zero or greater. The Overall Average Rating will update automatically based on your changes.