Overview
The Characteristics Sheet implements a two-section RTM (Requirements Traceability Matrix) expansion model, connecting design characteristics to manufacturing control parameters and their associated failure modes. This sheet supports the V-model design phase by linking design intent (characteristics) to risk analysis (failure modes), enabling comprehensive verification that design parameters are adequately protected by risk mitigation strategies.
Key Characteristics
| Property | Value |
|---|
| Sheet Type | PowerSheet |
| Source Entity | Characteristic |
| Primary Relationship | failureModes |
| Color Scheme | Dark green (characteristics) + Dark red (failure modes) |
| Expansion Levels | 2 (characteristic → failure mode) |
| Default Sort | objectId ascending |
| Available Views | Full view, Without Failure Modes, Summary View |
Column Group Architecture
The Characteristics Sheet uses a two-section layout with semantic color coding to distinguish design data from risk data:
Characteristics Section (Dark Green)
| Column | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
| objectId | Text | — | Unique characteristic identifier (e.g., CHAR-001), read-only |
| title | Text | — | Characteristic name or parameter description, editable with focus capability |
| targetValue | Text | — | Design requirement specification (e.g., “±0.5mm”, “85-95°C”), quantitative value used for verification |
| tolerance | Text | — | Tolerance specification or operational constraints, supports free-text notes for environmental/manufacturing limits |
Failure Modes Section (Dark Red)
| Column | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
| failureMode.objectId | Text | — | Failure Mode work item identifier linked from FMEA analysis |
| failureMode.description | Text | — | Failure scenario description, read-only display from FMEA context |
| failureMode.severity | Enumeration | — | FMEA severity rating (1-10), displayed as numeric value with color coding |
| failureMode.actionPriority | Enumeration | — | Post-mitigation Action Priority (H/M/L), color-coded: green (L) → orange (M) → red (H) |
Visual Structure Diagram
RTM Expansion and Relationship Configuration
Source Query
The sheet queries all Characteristic work items from the current document context:
source:
entityType: Characteristic
queryFactory: # Auto-discovers characteristics in current module
Relationship Expansion
The failureModes relationship expands each characteristic to show linked failure modes:
expansion:
- relationshipName: failureModes
targetEntityType: FailureMode
depth: 1
displayOrder: subRowFirst # Failure modes appear below characteristic
The failureModes relationship connects Characteristics to FailureMode entities identified in FMEA analysis (System/Design/Process FMEA). This enables bidirectional traceability: design parameters (characteristics) → identified risks (failure modes) → mitigation strategies (risk controls).
Read-Only Field Protection
Characteristic ID and failure mode metadata are displayed with read-only formatting (grey background) to prevent accidental modification during review workflows:
characteristics:
objectId:
isReadOnly: true
formatter:
backgroundColor: '#E8E8E8'
fontWeight: normal
Action Priority Color Coding
Post-mitigation Action Priority values from FMEA analysis are color-coded using traffic-light semantics to prioritize mitigation actions:
| Action Priority | Color | RGB Value | Interpretation |
|---|
| H (High) | Red | #E57373 | Immediate action required; risk exceeds acceptable thresholds |
| M (Medium) | Orange | #FFB74D | Review and planned mitigation; acceptable with controls |
| L (Low) | Green | #81C784 | Monitor only; risk acceptable; no mitigation action needed |
SC/CC Classification Rendering
When characteristics are linked to Safety-Critical (SC) or Critical Component (CC) requirements, classification displays with conditional formatting:
scccClassification:
formatter:
expression: "item.classification"
conditions:
- value: "SC"
label: "SAFETY-CRITICAL"
backgroundColor: '#FFB74D' # Orange
- value: "CC"
label: "CRITICAL COMPONENT"
backgroundColor: '#E57373' # Red
Progressive Workflow Views
The Characteristics Sheet provides multiple views optimized for different phases of the design and verification workflow:
Full View (Default)
Displays all characteristic properties and linked failure modes in expanded format. Use this view during design reviews and FMEA execution when you need to simultaneously review design intent and associated risks.
Columns Visible: All characteristic fields + all failure mode fields
Typical Use: FMEA execution, design verification meetings, cross-functional reviews
Without Failure Modes View
Hides all failure mode columns to show only characteristic properties (ID, title, target value, tolerance). This focused view supports characteristic definition on the V-model left side (design phase) before FMEA analysis begins.
Columns Visible: Characteristics section only
Typical Use: Characteristic creation and refinement, design specification reviews, initial parameter definition
Summary View
Displays minimal information suitable for executive reporting and high-level reviews: characteristic ID, title, SC/CC classification, and Action Priority summary across linked failure modes.
Columns Visible: objectId, title, scccClassification, aggregated AP
Typical Use: Safety readiness scorecards, management dashboards, standards compliance reporting
Progressive disclosure views (collapse/expand) maintain relationship visibility while reducing visible columns. The sheet remembers your last view preference across sessions. To reset to full view, click the expand icon on the Characteristics section header.
Entity Factory Configuration
The sheet supports inline creation of new failure modes through the entity factory mechanism. When a user creates a new failure mode from a characteristic row:
entityFactory:
targetEntityType: FailureMode
modulePath: "Risks/ComponentDFMEA" # Where new failure modes are created
autoLink: true
linkRole: "failureModes"
- Created in the specified DFMEA module
- Linked back to the source characteristic via the failureModes relationship
- Displayed in the next sub-row with default fields ready for editing
Default Sort and Grouping
The Characteristics Sheet uses objectId ascending sort to provide stable, predictable ordering across sessions:
sort:
- field: objectId
direction: ascending
order: 1
| Related Sheet | Relationship | Purpose |
|---|
| Component Characteristics Sheet | Component-level view | Focus on single component characteristics with expanded failure mode details and SC/CC classification |
| Design Verification Sheet | Verification traceability | Link characteristics to verification test cases that validate target values and tolerances |
| System DFMEA Risksheet | Risk analysis | Source of failure modes linked to characteristics; shows pre/post-mitigation severity |
| Control Plan Risksheet | Manufacturing control | Maps characteristics to manufacturing process characteristics and inspection methods |
Collapse-To Navigation
Column groups are configured with collapseTo targets to optimize screen space while preserving context:
- Characteristics group collapses to
title — keeps characteristic name visible for quick scanning
- Failure Modes group collapses to
description — shows failure scenario while hiding detailed FMEA ratings
Users toggle collapse/expand using the ⊕/⊖ control on each group header to switch between detail view (all columns) and compact view (key fields only).
Common Use Cases
Design Requirement Verification
Use the full view during design verification phase to confirm that each characteristic has adequate failure mode coverage from FMEA. Missing failure modes indicate traceability gaps that must be addressed before design release.
FMEA Execution and Linking
During FMEA execution, link newly identified failure modes to characteristics that they impact. The entity factory enables direct creation of failure modes while reviewing characteristic definitions, reducing context switching between tools.
Manufacturing Control Planning
During control plan development, review characteristics and their associated failure modes to determine which parameters require statistical process control. High action-priority failure modes indicate characteristics that need enhanced inspection methods.
Safety Readiness Reporting
Use the Summary View to generate compliance reports showing which characteristics have associated failure modes with high or medium action priority, supporting ISO 26262 and IATF 16949 audit trails.
