Skip to main content

​
When to Use Upstream Linking

Link DFMEA/PFMEA to upstream SFMEA when:
  • Design FMEA: Component-level or subsystem failure modes trace to system-level functional failures
  • Process FMEA: Manufacturing process causes trace to design-level failure modes identified in DFMEA
This creates the FMEA cascade required by AIAG-VDA methodology: System FMEA → Design FMEA → Process FMEA.

​
Linking Workflow

diagram

​
Steps

​
1. Open the DFMEA or PFMEA Document

Navigate to Risks space and open your Design FMEA or Process FMEA document in Risksheet view.

​
2. Switch to Traceability View

Select the Traceability (Up/Down) view from the view dropdown. This displays the Upstream Risk column showing SFMEA linkages.

​
3. Locate the Upstream Risk Column

Find the Upstream Risk column (often labeled “System FMEA” or “SFMEA Failure Mode”). This is a multi-item link column supporting multiple upstream links. Click in the Upstream Risk cell for your failure mode or cause. A picker dialog appears showing available System FMEA failure modes. Filter by:
  • Module: Select the SFMEA document (e.g., Risks/SFMEA-AEB-System)
  • Function: Filter by the function being assessed
  • Search: Type keywords from the upstream failure mode description
Select the matching SFMEA failure mode and click OK. The linked SFMEA failure mode appears in the Upstream Risk cell with:
  • Link icon
  • Failure mode title
  • Module reference (e.g., SFMEA-AEB-System)
  • Brief description excerpt
Hover over the link to see full upstream failure mode details. Some failure modes trace to multiple SFMEA items. Click the cell again and add additional links. All upstream risks display as a list in the cell.

​
Configuration Details

The upstream link uses the Polarion causes relationship: 
Upstream Risk Column:
  type: MultiItemLink
  linkRole: causes
  itemTypes: [failureMode]
  direction: outgoing
For PFMEA linking to DFMEA, the same causes relationship applies but points to failureMode items from Design FMEA documents instead of System FMEA.
Upstream linking is outgoing from the current failure mode. The relationship reads: “This DFMEA/PFMEA failure mode is caused by the upstream SFMEA failure mode.” Do not use the reverse causedBy relationship — that creates downstream links.
If your FMEA documents are organized by system element (e.g., Sensor Unit, Brake Controller), enable the system element filter in the picker to show only upstream SFMEA items from the same component. This prevents linking unrelated failure modes.
AIAG-VDA methodology requires cascading through all FMEA levels. PFMEA should link to DFMEA (not directly to SFMEA), and DFMEA should link to SFMEA. Skipping levels breaks the causal chain and makes root cause analysis incomplete.

​
Verification

After linking, verify traceability:
  1. Upstream Risk cell displays linked SFMEA failure mode title and module
  2. Traceability Report (Documentation space) shows the complete chain: PFMEA → DFMEA → SFMEA
  3. FMEA Coverage Report marks the failure mode as “traced to upstream FMEA”
You should now see green checkmarks ✅ in the traceability coverage metrics on the Risks Space Dashboard.

​
See Also