FMEA
German FMEA tool for structured system, design and process FMEAs aligned with AIAG-VDA methodology.
- FMEA
- Control plan
- Risk analysis
- Pricing
- Price on request
- Deployment
- Desktop
FMEA software: tools for DFMEA, PFMEA and control plansFind the failure before the customer does.
FMEA software supports failure mode and effects analysis, the structured review of how a design or process could fail and which risks need action first. Most tools cover both design FMEA (DFMEA) and process FMEA (PFMEA), and link the results to the process flow and control plan.
Showing 3 of 3 tools
1 2 FMEA
HBK ReliaSoft tool for managing FMEA, FMECA and related reliability analyses in a shared database.
- FMEA
- FMECA
- Risk analysis
- Pricing
- Price on request
- Deployment
- Desktop, Self-hosted
3 FMEA
FMEA software supporting AIAG-VDA DFMEA, PFMEA and FMEA-MSR with linked control plans.
- FMEA
- Control plan
- Risk analysis
- Pricing
- Price on request
- Deployment
- Cloud, Self-hosted
The basics
What is fmea software?
FMEA software supports failure mode and effects analysis. A team lists how a design or process could fail, rates the effect and decides which risks need action first.
A design FMEA looks at the product. A process FMEA looks at how it is made. Many tools link the FMEA to control plans and process flow diagrams.
Risks are often ranked with a risk priority number, the product of severity, occurrence and detection ratings. Some automotive guidance now uses an action priority table instead.
Paper, spreadsheet or software?
A spreadsheet is the traditional FMEA format. It works for a small team and a few products.
Software helps when FMEAs share failure modes across product families, when they must link to control plans, or when customers audit them.
The routine it supports
- 1Define the scope
- 2Map functions and steps
- 3List failure modes and causes
- 4Rate and rank the risks
- 5Add prevention and detection
- 6Update from field data
How the listed tools are priced
- Price on request: 3
PFMEA software and the control plan
In a process FMEA, each step of the process flow diagram becomes a row of functions, failure modes and causes. The prevention and detection controls chosen there should appear in the control plan used on the floor.
PFMEA software keeps that chain linked, so changing a step or a control updates the related documents. In automotive supply chains, these documents are often reviewed together as part of product and process approval.
Many detection controls depend on stable measurement. The SPC software category covers tools for monitoring those characteristics once production starts.
AIAG-VDA FMEA software and the seven steps
The AIAG and VDA FMEA handbook, published in 2019, sets out seven steps: planning and preparation, structure analysis, function analysis, failure analysis, risk analysis, optimization and results documentation.
It also introduced action priority, which rates each risk high, medium or low from its severity, occurrence and detection ratings. If your customers follow this handbook, check that the software supports both the structure tree and the action priority table.
Free FMEA software and Excel templates
Free FMEA templates in Excel are easy to find and work well for a small team learning the method. The glossary entry on FMEA explains the basic columns.
Spreadsheets struggle when many FMEAs share the same failure modes, when they must stay in sync with control plans, or when customers ask for a revision history. Those are the usual reasons teams move to dedicated FMEA software.
Buying guide
How to choose FMEA Software
Who it's for: Design, process and quality engineers in automotive, aerospace, medical and industrial manufacturing. It suits teams maintaining many FMEAs that must stay consistent with each other.
What to look for
Structure and function first
A tree of system, function and failure that builds the analysis step by step, rather than a flat spreadsheet.
Linked control plans
Prevention and detection controls that flow into the control plan and process flow, kept in sync automatically.
Reusable failure libraries
Approved failure modes and causes that teams can reuse across similar parts and processes, with changes tracked.
Current risk methods
Support for action priority as well as severity, occurrence and detection ratings, matching what your customers require.
Common mistakes
- Writing the FMEA after the design is frozen, just to pass a review. The analysis should influence the design while it can still change.
- Chasing a lower risk number by adjusting ratings instead of adding real controls.
- Letting FMEAs go stale. Field failures, complaints and process changes should all trigger an update.
Before you choose
Questions to ask vendors
- 1Which FMEA standards and rating methods do you support?
- 2How are the FMEA, process flow and control plan kept in sync?
- 3Can we build and share libraries of approved failure modes across sites?
- 4How do we import our existing spreadsheet FMEAs?
FAQ
FMEA Software: common questions
What is the difference between a design FMEA and a process FMEA?
A design FMEA looks at how the product could fail to meet its function. A process FMEA looks at how manufacturing or assembly could create a defect.
Is risk priority number still used?
Many teams still use it, but some standards now favor action priority. It weighs severity more heavily, so high-severity risks are not hidden by low ratings elsewhere.
Who should take part in an FMEA?
A cross-functional team, including design, process, quality and someone who builds or uses the product. One engineer alone will miss failure modes.
Is FMEA a lean tool?
FMEA comes from reliability engineering rather than the Toyota Production System. Lean Six Sigma projects use it to rank risks, often alongside poka-yoke.
How often should an FMEA be updated?
Whenever the design or process changes, and when field failures or audits reveal a new failure mode. An FMEA is a living document.
What is the difference between FMEA and FMECA?
FMECA adds a criticality analysis, ranking failure modes by severity and likelihood. It is common in defense, aerospace and reliability engineering.
Can I do an FMEA in Excel?
Yes. A spreadsheet is the traditional format. It gets harder to keep consistent when many FMEAs share failure modes or must stay linked to control plans.
What is action priority in FMEA?
A table from the AIAG-VDA handbook that rates each risk high, medium or low from the combination of severity, occurrence and detection, instead of multiplying them into one number.
Sources
Written by the lean-stack editors following our methodology. Updated October 3, 2026.
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