Understanding the FMEA Table in KF

One Table, Many Methods

KF uses a simple 4-column table to do what traditional quality tools like FMEA, DRBFM, and DRBTR all aim to do — but without the clutter.

Item	Failures	Actions	Risk

This compact format lets you focus on what really matters: What can go wrong, why, what to do about it, and how risky it is.

What each column means

• Item:

The product, component, function, or process you're analyzing.

• Failures:

A vertical list showing: - 🔴 Effects (what happens if it fails) - ⚠️ The failure itself - 🟡 Causes (why it happens) This gives you a mini fault tree right inside the table.

• Actions:

Preventive, detective, corrective — anything you’ll do to reduce risk or respond to issues. You can track their status right here.

• Risk:

A simple calculation based on Impact × Probability. Impact can be positive or negative (risks and opportunities!). Risk is also shown on a customizable risk matrix (green/yellow/red).

Behind the scenes: it’s still FMEA (and more)

Even though KF keeps things simple on the surface, it can represent everything you'd find in:

• FMEA (Design or Process): Functions, failures, causes, effects, actions, risk
• DRBFM: Design changes and their ripple effects
• DRBTR: Change tracking and reviews
• Fault Tree Analysis: Cause-effect logic
• Opportunity analysis: When severity is positive

By avoiding long tables with 10+ columns (like Severity, Occurrence, Detection, RPN...), KF avoids the confusion and lets teams focus on meaningful analysis, not paperwork.

Our philosophy

Quality tools should help you think, not just fill out forms. KF’s FMEA table is designed to:

• Work for both experts and non-experts
• Be fast to fill in, but deep when needed
• Keep your knowledge reusable, connected, and alive