failure analysis
Why it broke
Failure analysis is the systematic investigation of why something broke, malfunctioned, or didn't perform as expected.
Engineers conduct failure analysis on crashed aircraft, collapsed bridges, or defective products to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.
The term applies broadly—from examining a cracked component under a microscope to reviewing why a business strategy failed: The post-mortem included failure analysis of our marketing approach.
Evaluating likelihood of harm
- mitigationReduction of severity
- contingency planningPreparing for possible problems
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- quality controlMaintaining production standards
preventive maintenance · safeguards · early warning · safety margins · fail-safe · fault tolerance · lessons learned · best practices
Fundamental origin of problem
- troubleshootingSystematic fault diagnosis
- forensicsScientific crime-scene analysis
- debuggingError removal from programs
- post-mortemAnalysis after conclusion
malfunction · breakdown · inspection · assessment · testing · monitoring · data logging
Steps to fix identified problems
- optimizationMaximizing efficiency or performance
- continuous improvementIncremental ongoing enhancement
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
- feedback loopSelf-modifying cyclical process
design iteration · recovery · performance enhancement · knowledge transfer · documentation · benchmarking · remediation
Formal inquiry into mishaps
- injury preventionStopping damage before occurrence
- near-missNarrowly averted incident
- human errorMistakes by people
- structural collapseFramework giving way
safety audit · warning signs · emergency response · safety-critical
risk assessment
Evaluating likelihood of harm
- mitigationReduction of severity
- contingency planningPreparing for possible problems
- redundancyNeedless duplication
quality control · preventive maintenance · safeguards · early warning · safety margins · fail-safe · fault tolerance · lessons learned · best practices · process improvement
root cause
Fundamental origin of problem
- troubleshootingSystematic fault diagnosis
- forensicsScientific crime-scene analysis
- debuggingError removal from programs
post-mortem · malfunction · breakdown · inspection · assessment · testing · monitoring · data logging
corrective action
Steps to fix identified problems
- optimizationMaximizing efficiency or performance
- continuous improvementIncremental ongoing enhancement
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
feedback loop · design iteration · recovery · performance enhancement · knowledge transfer · documentation · benchmarking · remediation
accident investigation
Formal inquiry into mishaps
- injury preventionStopping damage before occurrence
- near-missNarrowly averted incident
- human errorMistakes by people
structural collapse · safety audit · warning signs · emergency response · safety-critical
- analysisevaluate, examine, assess, interpret, compare
- engineeringengineers, civil engineering, engineering, electrical engineering, blueprint
- maintenancepreventive maintenance, maintenance schedule, scheduled maintenance, handyman, repair
- case studiesbusiness case, medical case, legal case, clinical study, field study
- Quality ControlQA, QC, calipers, micrometers, quality check
- postmortemspostmortem, post-mortem, autopsy, necropsy, postmortem exam
failure analysispreventive maintenance
Scheduled upkeep averting failures
risk mitigation · quality assurance · risk assessment · hazard prevention · prognostics
failure, failing, failed, analysis, analyze, analyst, fails, analyzed, analyzing