FMEA & Control Plan Software for Automotive Manufacturers
PFMEA and DFMEA inline spreadsheets with auto-computed RPN, AIAG/VDA structure, and Control Plan connected on the same Part Master. High-RPN rows promote to Lessons Learnt — the same failure cannot repeat on the next program.
Book a Demo → See FMEA Module at SmartAPQP →PFMEA vs DFMEA — When to Use Each
PFMEA — Process Failure Mode & Effects Analysis
Analyses failure modes in the manufacturing process — what can go wrong during machining, assembly, welding, inspection, or packaging. PFMEA is mandatory for IATF 16949 and is a required PPAP element (element 6).
- Linked directly to the Control Plan and Process Flow Diagram (PFD)
- Characteristic classes (SC, CC, KPC) defined per row
- RPN (Severity × Occurrence × Detection) auto-computed with threshold colouring
- Required for PPAP Level 2–5 submissions
DFMEA — Design Failure Mode & Effects Analysis
Analyses failure modes in the product design — how the part or system could fail to meet its intended function. DFMEA is prepared by the design-responsible party (OEM or design-responsible supplier).
- Covers functional requirements, failure modes, effects and causes at the design level
- AIAG/VDA FMEA Handbook structure supported
- High-severity DFMEA rows can promote to Lessons Learnt
- PPAP element 4 — required for design-responsible suppliers
What SmartAPQP Does for FMEA & Control Plan
RPN Auto-computed — Threshold Colouring
Enter Severity, Occurrence and Detection scores — RPN calculates automatically. Rows above the threshold turn amber or red. Action owners and due dates are tracked per row, not in a separate register.
FMEA Inline with PFD & Control Plan
The Operations Master defines the process step sequence once. PFMEA, PFD and Control Plan all read from it — no copying steps across three separate forms. Change the operation name in one place; all three update.
Control Plan Types — Prototype, Pre-launch, Production
Three Control Plan types per AIAG requirements. Characteristics (SC/CC/KPC), measurement methods, sample sizes, reaction plans and responsible functions are all tracked in the same record as the PFMEA.
The FMEA → Lessons Learnt Loop — The Differentiator
Most FMEA tools produce a spreadsheet. SmartAPQP wires the FMEA into the company's institutional memory — so that a high-RPN failure mode identified today blocks the next program from repeating the same mistake.
- High-RPN FMEA rows can be promoted to a Lessons Learnt entry in one click
- Lessons are tagged by commodity, process family or part family and published
- On the next program's APQP gate review, matching lessons auto-populate from the published library
- The gate cannot close until each lesson is applied or formally marked N/A with justification
- The FMEA × Lessons Learnt workbench lets quality engineers review which lessons already exist for a new part's process steps before starting the FMEA
The closed-loop Lessons Learnt story is SmartAPQP's #1 differentiator. Most QMS tools have a Lessons tab nobody reads. SmartAPQP makes it impossible to ignore.