Process FMEA For the Service Sector

Process FMEA For the Service Sector
By Roger Thorpe

Process failure modes and effects analysis (PFMEA) is usually associated with manufacturing processes. However it can be applied to business processes with great effect. So, what type of processes am I considering?

Any of the following, (and these are only some suggestions):

• Purchasing.


• Supplier selection.


• Payroll.


• Supplier payment.


• Customer service.


• Recruitment.
  
• Sales.


• Logistics.


• Project planning.


• Scheduling of services.


• Design of organisational processes.


• Training.

As you can see the application of the principles are diverse.

How to decide which of your processes would benefit from the application of PFMEA?

If the above are representative of your processes then what you need to identify is which of them are your most problematic processes. Identify which particular single process is the most unreliable one I suggest you start with that. However you may need to bear in mind the importance of the process. It may be necessary to select a process which is more crucial to the business and has dramatic affect when it goes wrong.

What will it do for me?

PFMEA will highlight precisely the aspects, of the process you have selected, that let you down, the various reasons why they happen and draw your attention to all of the consequences of that weakness in your process. Through thorough analysis you will see all of the aspects of your selected process which malfunction and give rise to subsequent problems. Most importantly your PFMEA will highlight which issue is most urgent and the biggest risk to the business.

An example

Training of personnel is a good topic to illustrate how this method can be applied. Your process might be:

1. New employee.


2. Add to training matrix.


3. Carry out induction training.


4. Document training has been completed.


5. Indicate induction training has been completed on training matrix.

Picking number 3 as an example, a failure mode might be induction training not carried out. The effect of this may be that the person could be a risk to themselves or others under certain circumstances. One of the causes of this could be that they are temporary personnel, who are not added to the training matrix, hence there's no visibility of the requirement for the induction training. Further more because they do not appear on the training matrix you have no way of detecting that they haven't had any induction training. Okay this is perhaps extreme, since it is likely that temporary personnel under normal conditions probably do get induction training although it is likely that they still do not appear on the training matrix. So what happens when the person who normally does the induction training is away and the person standing in for them isn't sure what they usually do. This situation would certainly go undetected if the induction training is not carried out.

Summary

PFMEA is an ideal tool to highlight weaknesses in your processes and is particularly suited to long standing processes which people have been living with for a long time. It magnifies core problems thus drawing them to your attention and guiding you as to when you should take action on them.

Roger Thorpe has been an FMEA facilitator and consultant for 13 years, he has experience in the following sectors; automotive, motorsport, industrial, healthcare, rail support, construction and banking. He works with companies utilising his knowledge and their skill to deploy best practice. For more information on how he can help you visit his website: http://www.fmea.org.uk

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