Expert support for all types of FMEA and FMECATM ReliaSoft s Xfmea facilitates the FMEA/FMECA process and provides flexible data management and reporting capabilities. The software also provides integrated support for related analyses such as Design Verification Plans (DVP&Rs), Design Reviews Based on Failure Mode (DRBFMs), Process Flow Diagrams (PFD Worksheets) and Process Control Plans (PCPs). Xfmea has now been completely re-engineered and integrated into the powerful Synthesis Platform. http://xfmea.reliasoft.com
Support for All Types of FMEA plus Related Analyses ReliaSoft s Xfmea supports the major industry standards for all types of FMEA (including Design FMEA, Process FMEA, FMECA, etc.). The software provides predefined profiles for the major reporting standards and also offers extensive capabilities to customize the interface and reports to meet your organization's specific needs. Xfmea enables you to transfer relevant data between your Design FMEAs and Process FMEAs and also provides integrated utilities for related analyses such as Design Verification Plans, Design Reviews Based on Failure Mode, Process Flow Diagrams and Process Control Plans. Built on the Synthesis Platform Integration with Weibull++, ALTA, DOE++, RGA, BlockSim, RENO, Lambda Predict, RCM++, RBI, MPC and XFRACAS Multiple Languages English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese Multi-User Access and Intelligent Integration Xfmea analyses are stored in a centralized database that supports simultaneous access by multiple users and shares relevant information between Synthesis-enabled software tools. This enables you to build and manage a valuable, keyword-searchable knowledge base of product reliability information and lessons learned that can be shared throughout your organization. For enterprise-level data repositories, both Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle are supported. Support Extensive resources online and in print. Network of regional offices provide support via phone, e-mail or live chat. Easy to Find and Reuse Existing Analysis Data or Phrases Xfmea provides an array of tools to help you find and reuse descriptions from any existing analysis and to select phrases from predefined templates or phrase libraries. You also can use fully customizable Excel templates to quickly import system configurations or analysis data from external data sources. Multiple Views of the Analysis Information Xfmea's flexible system hierarchy feature provides a uniquely powerful opportunity to organize the analysis information according to even the most complex multi-level system configuration. Then for each analysis, you can easily switch back and forth between three complementary views of the FMEA data: the traditional worksheet, an intuitive hierarchical tree or sortable filtered lists (e.g., causes ranked by RPN or actions ranked by due date). Feedback Loop for Corrective Actions To make sure your organization follows through to implement the design or process improvements identified during the FMEA, Xfmea provides a variety of features to help the team track the completion of recommended actions. This includes targeted reports, charts and the ability to send automated notifications via e-mail. Flexible Reports, Queries, Charts and Diagrams Xfmea provides a complete set of print-ready reports, flexible ad-hoc queries, charts and diagrams that allow you to present analysis information in the most effective ways to support decision-making. Why Upgrade to Version 9? (for details, visit http://xfmea.reliasoft.com/version9.htm) Integration into the Synthesis Platform, which allows multiple users throughout the organization to share analysis information between any of ReliaSoft's Synthesis-enabled analysis tools. A new DFR Planner utility that helps you track progress on Design for Reliability activities. A new Failure Modes and Reliability Analysis (FMRA) that uses information from your FMEAs as a starting point for other reliability analyses (such as calculating a system's baseline reliability). A new PFD Worksheet analysis that facilitates integration between the Process Flow Diagram, Process FMEA and Process Control Plan. 1
Integration to Empower the Reliability Organization Xfmea has been integrated into the ground-breaking new Synthesis Platform, which offers practitioners the best of both worlds: analysis tools that are optimized to fully meet the individual user's needs for a particular set of analysis methods, plus integration into a centralized repository that is shared by users throughout the organization and facilitates integration between analysis tools. Intelligent Integration Through the New Synthesis Platform New in Version 9! The Synthesis Platform offers a unique solution to the challenge of integrating reliability information without sacrificing the power and flexibility of each individual analysis method. Your interaction with each application will be similar to your experience with previous versions a full-featured tool that has been expertly designed to meet your needs for all aspects of the analysis methodology. And from the overall reliability program perspective, multiple users will now have the ability to share resources between applications and analyses. Specifically for Xfmea, Synthesis gives you the ability to: Use models from analyses performed in other Synthesis applications to set the reliability/maintenance characteristics of the items and failure modes you're analyzing in Xfmea. Work with the same failure modes and reliability analysis (FMRA) in both Xfmea and BlockSim. Use FMEA data to build fault trees in BlockSim. Share system configuration and failure mode data between XFRACAS and Xfmea. Copy any system from an MPC systems and powerplant analysis into the more flexible Xfmea system hierarchy. Centralized Data Storage and Flexible Permissions Xfmea continues to offer centralized data storage that allows multiple users to work cooperatively on analysis projects. A special "enterprise" license/installation is no longer necessary all users can choose which type of database will provide the back-end data storage for any given repository: A Standard Repository is easy to create and maintain without any special IT infrastructure or support, but there are limitations to the amount of data it can store and the number of simultaneous users. An Enterprise Repository requires implementation of Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle, but it is a more robust platform that can store much more analysis information in the same database and supports access by many more simultaneous users. (Licensing, support and maintenance for SQL Server /Oracle are not included with Synthesis.) When using login security, you will be able to determine which capabilities are available to each individual user. Choose basic predefined security groups or customize the access permissions to meet specific needs. Messages and Action Tracking One of the many benefits of having multiple users working from the same centralized data repository is the opportunity to use a common interface for posting messages and tracking completion of assigned actions. The repository can be configured to enable e-mail notifications that serve to alert members of the team when relevant messages or actions are created or updated. You also have the option to send actions to your calendar in Microsoft Outlook. Enhanced, Easy-to-Use Interface with Internet Connectivity 2 All Synthesis applications offer a completely updated user interface with an "Office 2010" look and feel, and many usability enhancements. Some of the most useful include the ability to check-in/check-out portions of the analysis, "restore points" that allow you to restore or roll back to a previous stage in the analysis, and more flexible tools to organize and manage analysis projects. Whenever possible, the new interface takes advantage of an active Internet connection to deliver the most up-to-date announcements, documentation and theoretical resources.
Integration with Product Development Process Support for Large Multi-Level System Configurations (Including FRACAS Integration) Enhanced in Version 9! Xfmea s flexible System Hierarchy interface allows you to manage large, multi-level system configurations with as many levels as you need and any number of items per level. You can fully define the properties for each item (e.g., supplier, part number, reliability characteristics) and you can perform FMEA and related analyses at any level within the configuration. To save time and ensure consistency, you can automatically import system configuration data from an external Bill of Materials file or from ReliaSoft's XFRACAS web-based failure reporting and incident tracking system. For an enterprise database, you can maintain a direct link to the XFRACAS system, which makes it easy to resynchronize at any time. This FRACAS connection also enables the FMEA team to tap into valuable information about failure modes that are observed during testing and in the field, including incident quantities and new failure modes that may not have been considered yet. Design for Reliability (DFR) Planner New in Version 9! Xfmea's new DFR planner allows you to track and manage the stages in the Design for Reliability (DFR) process for a particular system, assembly or component. You can configure the plan templates to fit particular processes and needs. You can also utilize Xfmea s powerful action management capabilities to keep track of the DFR activities that need to be performed by different members of the team. Change Point Analysis or Preliminary Risk Assessment The Risk Discovery Analysis feature provides a choice of two configurable methods for the preliminary analysis that will help you choose which items should receive more detailed consideration via FMEA (e.g., a change point analysis or preliminary risk assessment). The first option allows you to answer a series of yes/no questions and the second option allows you to assign ratings for a variety of different factors and then calculate an overall criticality value for each item. Failure Modes and Reliability Analysis (FMRA) New in Version 9! You can use the new failure modes and reliability analysis (FMRA) feature to integrate statistical reliability analysis calculations into your FMEA activities. Specifically, this view can be used to: Display all of the FMEA records that could have an impact on system reliability in a single hierarchical tree. Use the occurrence ratings that have been defined in the FMEA to generate a preliminary baseline reliability estimate for the system that can be improved later when actual failure data become available. Synchronize with BlockSim s reliability block diagrams (RBDs) or fault trees, which facilitate more realistic system modeling (e.g., by considering redundancy, common cause failures, etc.). Analysis Plans The analysis plan utility allows you to keep track of team members, ground rules, estimated completion dates, scheduled work sessions and other details that will help you to plan and manage your analysis projects. The software makes it easy to generate a high-level overview of all pending analysis projects and also to generate a report for each individual project plan. 3
Full Featured Support for All Types of FMEA Three Complementary Views of the FMEA Data Xfmea offers three complementary views of the information contained in your FMEAs. It is easy to switch back and forth between the views so you can choose the display that is best suited for a specific task. The FMEA Hierarchy displays the analysis records in a hierarchical tree, which tends to be good for viewing a lot of information in a compact space. It can be especially useful when copying and pasting data or when scanning the analysis to find a particular section of the FMEA. The FMEA Worksheet follows the traditional tabular format that most FMEA practitioners are familiar with, which allows you to type directly into the worksheet cells and tab through the analysis as you would in a spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel. The Filtered View presents a sortable list of all records of a particular type. For example, you may wish to see all cause records sorted by RPN or all overdue actions. This view allows you to generate these lists on-the-fly as you work on the analysis. Extensive Configuration Options Xfmea provides predefined profiles for all major reporting standards (such as AIAG, SAE J1739 and MIL-STD-1629A), which makes it easy to configure the analysis workspace to fit any of the supported standards. The software also offers flexible capabilities to customize any of the sample profiles or create your own profiles to meet the specific needs of your organization. Some of the configuration options include the ability to: Define the data fields you want to capture and display. Set classifications, categories and other drop-down lists. Determine the rating scales and other criteria used for risk assessment. Define the logic that will be used for risk discovery analysis. Choice of Risk Assessment Methods Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) are calculated automatically based on your selections from fully configurable rating scales. Xfmea also supports related metrics, including SxO (Severity x Occurrence), SOD (Severity, Occurrence, Detection) and SD (Severity, Detection). In addition, the Priority Highlights feature allows you to highlight issues based on specified criteria. This includes a customizable "Risk Ranking Logic" option that allows you to define both the priority levels and the logic used to assign particular issues to each level. For example, you might wish to mark an issue as "Requires Action" if the RPN is => 200 OR the Severity rating is => 9. 4 Xfmea continues to provide support for both quantitative and qualitative Criticality Analysis patterned after MIL-STD-1629A. Instead of relying only on the assumption of an exponential distribution (constant failure rate), Xfmea allows you to consider time-dependent distributions for describing the reliability/probability of failure.
Actions Management and Support for Related Analyses Tracking the Completion of Recommended Actions One of the most costly mistakes in FMEA practice is the failure to implement the corrective actions identified during the FMEA project. Xfmea provides multiple features that will help your organization track the completion of these improvements to reduce risk and increase reliability. In addition to detailed reports and graphical charts for progress tracking, Xfmea can be configured to send notification e-mails to keep team members informed. The My Portal feature, which is personalized for each individual user, displays a list of relevant actions and makes it easy to open these records with a simple double-click. Boundary Diagrams (FMEA Block Diagrams) Diagrams can help to define the scope of a particular analysis project and may provide other useful information about the system you are analyzing. If you don't have existing files that you wish to attach, Xfmea allows you to build these diagrams and store them together with your FMEAs. Design Reviews Based on Failure Mode (DRBFMs) You can use the design review based on failure mode (DRBFM) methodology to evaluate proposed changes to an existing design. Xfmea's integrated DRBFM utility provides a configurable worksheet patterned after the method developed within Toyota Motor Corporation. Design Verification Plans and Reports (DVP&Rs) Enhanced in Version 9! Xfmea's integrated DVP&R utility provides a configurable worksheet for design verification plans and reports. You can create each plan from scratch or import data from Microsoft Excel. You also can transfer controls from the Design FMEA to be the starting point for a new DVP&R. Now you can activate a change log for DVP&R analyses, which records a history of the specific changes made in each tracked revision. Transfer Design FMEA (DFMEA) to Process FMEA (PFMEA) Transferring relevant data from the DFMEA can provide a useful starting point for a new PFMEA. For example, the failure causes that have been identified for your design can be transferred as failure modes to consider when analyzing the manufacturing process. Xfmea s flexible Transfer Projects utility allows you to specify what information will be transferred and how it will be mapped to the new analysis. Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) and Control Plans New and Enhanced in Version 9! Xfmea provides a new PFD Worksheet that allows you to record more details about the steps in the process, while also starting to identify the key product and process characteristics that will need to be kept under control during manufacturing. This analysis can be integrated with both the PFMEA and the process control plan. 5
Flexible Tools for Data Entry and Management Xfmea s flexible data management capabilities can save time on data entry, help to ensure consistency among analyses and even provide brainstorming tools that will improve the quality of your FMEAs. User-Friendly Editing Tools Xfmea makes it easier than ever to enter and manage your analysis data. You have the option to multi-select records directly within the hierarchical tree views and to drag and drop records to desired locations. Xfmea also offers a paste special command that allows you to paste records with or without their dependents. In addition to text fields, the flexible find and replace utility also works for number fields, date fields and even drop-down lists. The spell checker highlights spelling mistakes while you are typing and offers customizable spelling dictionaries for all supported languages. Select Existing "Pick Lists" for All Description Fields For any text field, Xfmea provides easy access to a list of existing descriptions from specified data sources. Each list can be sorted or filtered to fit your specific needs. For example, the utility can provide a list of failure modes that contain the word "fatigue" or a list of recommended actions in a phrase set distributed to all users. Linked or Attached Files You can use the links and attachments feature to keep related information from external data files together with the rest of the analysis (such as flowcharts, design drawings and procedure instructions). Change Log and Electronic Approval Tracking Enhanced in Version 9! When an authorized user activates the change log for a particular FMEA, the software will record a history of the specific changes made in each tracked revision. In addition to the date/time, user and details of the change, the software can be configured to prompt users to record an explanation for each modification. If desired, this utility also can store an electronic record of the users who have reviewed and approved each tracked version of the analysis. Now the change log feature is also available for Design Verification Plans & Reports. Import/Export via Microsoft Excel The Templates Manager feature makes it easier than ever to import a system configuration or FMEA from an external data file. You can create and manage your own customized Excel templates to fit the exact configurations of your existing files. The software also provides the ability to import system hierarchy and FMEA data together from the same file, as well as the option to import data from existing DVP&R, control plan and DRBFM worksheets. Importing from Existing Analyses or Templates Xfmea provides two flexible interfaces for finding and importing information from existing analyses or predefined templates. One utility allows you to browse through the data and choose the information that you want to import. A second utility allows you to search using up to three criteria. For example, this tool can provide a list of items where the part name contains "Battery" AND the supplier name contains "Acme" OR "XYZ, Inc." 6
Queries, Reports, Charts and Diagrams Configurable Queries and Print-Ready Reports Of course, Xfmea makes it easy to generate reports in the tabular worksheet format that is commonly used for FMEAs and related analyses. However, because all of the analysis information is stored in a relational database, Xfmea is able to go beyond these basic worksheets to provide a complete range of options for presenting the data in ways that will effectively communicate results and facilitate decision-making. Use the Templates Manager to manage predefined and customized templates that can be made available to all database users, applied to any data set and incorporated into any print-ready report document. The Query window is a powerful analysis tool that makes it easy to find and open specific sections of the analysis. It is also a flexible custom reporting tool that allows you to create and manage saved queries that meet your particular presentation requirements. You can: Query by any type of record in any type of analysis. This includes the ability to search system hierarchy items, FMEAs, DVP&Rs, PFD worksheets, control plans or DRBFMs. Specify multiple search criteria using the Boolean operators AND/OR along with drop-down lists to determine the matching requirement (e.g., contains, is not empty, is greater than). Choose which record properties will be included in the results and customize the column order, column widths and heading labels. The Reports window makes it easy to build report documents that include the predefined report forms, custom report forms and/or custom queries that will be most effective to present your analysis results. Since you can generate these documents directly in Microsoft Word or Excel, it is easy to customize and distribute reports without a specialized report editor or viewer. Graphical Charts and Relationship Diagrams Xfmea's Plot Viewer provides an array of flexible options to create attractive bar charts, pie charts and matrix charts based on the analysis data. The software also generates Cause and Effect Diagrams and Failure Relationship Diagrams to help you visualize the relationships between issues in your analyses. These charts and diagrams can be saved as graphic files that can be inserted into other documents. 7
Frequently Asked Questions How can I determine if Xfmea is the right tool for me? We invite you to try this product and compare it with any comparable package on the market. Download a free demo from our website at http://download.reliasoft.com. What are the minimum system requirements? Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available. The supported operating systems are Windows XP (32-bit, SP 3 or higher), Vista (SP 1 or higher), Windows 7 and Windows 8. If you choose to use an enterprise data repository, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle are supported (including the "Express" editions of both). For complete details, see http://synthesis.reliasoft.com/requirements.htm. What languages are supported? The interface is currently available in English, German, French and Portuguese (with Spanish and Simplified Chinese planned to be added soon). For details and to see if support for additional languages has been added in our most recent release, see http://www.reliasoft.com/languages/. Is the Synthesis Platform a separate product to buy and install? No. The platform is integrated directly into each product (Synthesis Application). It is automatically installed and configured during the installation process. Do I have to buy a different version for single-user vs. enterprise deployments? No. All Synthesis Applications are designed to adapt automatically to single-user, multi-user and/or enterprise configurations based on what type of repository you are connected to. Each application can be used as an enterprise version when connected to a Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle database, or act as a single-user or simple multi-user version when connected to a standard repository. What type of technical support is available? Having the best and most advanced solution on the market is only part of the package; our unparalleled after-sale support completes it. We provide good old-fashioned "pick up the phone and talk to a real engineer at ReliaSoft" support. No seemingly endless phone menus and incessant elevator music on hold. Our growing network of regional offices is waiting to answer your questions personally via phone, e-mail or live chat. Software-related technical support is completely FREE for registered end users with Single User Licenses. For other license types, support is available with an active maintenance agreement. For details, visit http://support.reliasoft.com. What resources are available to help me master the software? Xfmea offers complete and detailed online help files, a quick start guide with step-by-step examples and a multitude of example files designed to get you up and running the minute the application is installed. In addition, ReliaSoft's training seminars provide instruction in reliability engineering principles and theory as well as the ReliaSoft software tools designed to put that theory into practice. For details, see http://seminars.reliasoft.com. How do I order the software and when will it arrive? We provide a variety of license options to meet your particular needs, and we also offer competitively priced multiproduct suites. For Single User Licenses, use our secure web store, print-ready order form or contact the ReliaSoft office nearest you. For any other licensing option, including Network or Unlimited User licensing, please contact ReliaSoft to receive a quotation. 8 Generally, orders received by your local office before 2 p.m. are processed on the same business day. Otherwise, orders are processed the next business day. Both edelivery and Box Delivery are available you have the option to download the product from the website or to have a disk and printed materials shipped to you via an express courier (2nd Day or International service). If requested, and depending on your location, domestic orders can be shipped with Overnight service for delivery by the next business day. For details, see http://www.reliasoft.com/order/.
Software, Education and Consulting to Empower the Reliability Professional ReliaSoft Corporation is the global leader in reliability engineering software, training and services that combine the latest theoretical advances with essential tools for the practitioner in the field. We are dedicated to meeting the reliability, quality and maintenance planning needs of product manufacturers and equipment operators worldwide. Software Acclaimed for their ease of use, analytical power and unparalleled technical support, ReliaSoft's software facilitates a comprehensive set of reliability-related analysis techniques. The Synthesis Platform facilitates intelligent integration between analysis tools. Life data analysis Reliability centered maintenance analysis Accelerated life testing data analysis Risk based inspection analysis Experiment design and analysis MSG-3 aircraft systems and powerplant analysis Reliability growth analysis Web-based FRACA/FRACAS and related activities System analysis using block diagrams or fault trees Web-based asset performance management Visual stochastic event simulation and risk analysis Web-based Synthesis Portal Standards based reliability prediction Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) FMEA/FMECA and related analyses Education ReliaSoft offers an extensive curriculum of reliability training courses that provide thorough coverage of the underlying principles and theory as well as the applicable software. The complete course list and calendar of upcoming public seminars are published on the web. Consulting ReliaSoft's expert reliability consulting services team offers a uniquely powerful combination of industry insight, unparalleled subject mastery and, most important of all, direct access to all of ReliaSoft's global resources, expertise and contacts. www.reliasoft.com