초록 ▼

A team is selected to perform failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) in a meeting moderated by a trained facilitator. A combination of group-ware, data bases, bridge programs and report generators configure RAM in a network of workstations in a meeting room to manage prompting members, recording r

A team is selected to perform failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) in a meeting moderated by a trained facilitator. A combination of group-ware, data bases, bridge programs and report generators configure RAM in a network of workstations in a meeting room to manage prompting members, recording responses, reaching consensus and documenting results. The members are prompted for and simultaneously enter failure modes for an apparatus or process into their respective workstations. The information is displayed anonymously to the other members. The correctness of input is verified by consensus including voting with automatic anonymous tallying, if required. A final list of failure modes is prepared, verified for correctness and completeness, and entered into the data base. For each failure mode a description of its effects and quantities for relative severity of occurrence, likelihood of occurrence, and likelihood of detection or mitigation are similarly generated, verified, and entered into the data base. Then the three quantities are automatically multiplied to determine a risk prioritization number (RPN). Bridge programs automatically generate an FMEA report in columnar form to document all the information in the data base. In order of RPN, in subsequent meetings, the causes of failure modes, current controls to prevent the effects or causes, proposed actions to further reduce the RPN, and the person responsible for implementing and reporting the results are generated, verified and entered into the data base. A second FMEA document with all this information is automatically generated and verified. Later in a group meeting, the actions which have been implemented and new quantities for relative severity of occurrence, likelihood of occurrence, and likelihood of detection or mitigation are similarly generated, verified and entered into the data base. A new RPN is automatically calculated and a third FMEA document is generated.

대표청구항 ▼

A computer network, comprising: multiple workstations connected together to form a communications network; computer input means for inputting information into the network at a plurality of the workstations, including multiple keyboards each connected for communication with a respective workstation;

A computer network, comprising: multiple workstations connected together to form a communications network; computer input means for inputting information into the network at a plurality of the workstations, including multiple keyboards each connected for communication with a respective workstation; computer controlled display means including a screen for displaying information locally at multiple respective workstations; means for producing output that can be retained in tangible form separately from the system, depending on signals transmitted from the network; means for designating one of the workstations with input means and display means, as a facilitator workstation and a plurality of other workstations as member workstations; transmitting signals for prompting through the network to the member workstations, to display prompts on the screens of member workstations depending on input into the input means of the facilitator workstation; means for displaying on the screens of member work stations, text entered into input means at the member workstations and for editing the input text; means for selectively transmitting the edited input text and for simultaneously displaying the transmitted text on display means visible at a plurality of other member workstations and at the facilitator workstation; means for inputting into input means at member workstations a vote to reach agreement regarding validity and completeness of the transmitted text and numeric information, and for automatically tabulating the votes and reporting results of the vote on at least one of the computer controlled displays; means for editing to create a data base of textual and numeric information depending on the agreement regarding the validity of the transmitted text and validity of the numeric information; means for identifying textual information entries in the data base as a potential failure mode type information; means for identifying other information entries in the data base as other types of information, including: textural information as either: a description of the component or process step to which a potential failure mode applies; a potential effect of a potential failure mode; or a potential cause of a potential failure mode; and numeric information as either: an estimated frequency of occurrence of a potential failure mode; or an estimated severity of the effects of a potential failure mode; means for relating entries of other types of information to a potential failure mode type entry in the data base; and means for generating signals and transmitting signals to the means for producing output, for generating a report in which potential failure mode type entries are listed in at least one column identified for potential failure modes and the other entries are listed in multiple other columns each of the other columns for one or more types of other entries and in which the report indicates which potential failure mode entry other types of entries are related to.