FMEA Configuration Example - Nextedy Documentation

Nextedy RISKSHEET is a generic tool that supports any risk management methodology, including FMEA, HARA, TARA, STRIDE, and CVSS. Nextedy provides solution templates for typical methodologies across industries; the example below shows how Risksheet can be configured for FMEA. Industry context: FMEA is used across aerospace (ARP 4761), automotive (AIAG-VDA), and medical device (ISO 14971) industries. The DFMEA variant uses RPN (Risk Priority Number = Severity x Occurrence x Detection) for risk prioritization. The newer AIAG-VDA methodology replaces numeric RPN with logic-based Action Priority (H/M/L) for more meaningful risk ranking.

Levels Configuration

Three visual levels define the FMEA hierarchy. The system element (or characteristic) is the top-level grouping item, failure modes are analyzed per element, and causes are identified per failure mode. Each level entry must specify three properties: name (display name in the navigation/zoom menu), controlColumn (column ID used as the grouping key for cell merging), and zoomColumn (column ID used as the target for zoom/drill-down navigation).

levels:
  - name: System Element
    controlColumn: title
    zoomColumn: title
  - name: Failure Mode
    controlColumn: failureMode
    zoomColumn: failureMode
  - name: Cause
    controlColumn: cause
    zoomColumn: cause

Column Definitions

Key columns with data type bindings. Severity, occurrence, and detection are enum fields scored 1-10. RPN columns use formulas for computed values. Each column maps to a Polarion work item field via the bindings property.

columns:
  - id: title
    bindings: title
    header: System Element
    width: 200
    headerCss: headElement
  - id: failureMode
    bindings: failureMode
    header: Failure Mode
    width: 200
    headerCss: headFailure
  - id: cause
    bindings: cause
    header: Cause
    width: 200
    headerCss: headFailure
  - id: effect
    bindings: effect
    header: Effect
    width: 200
    headerCss: headFailure
  - id: sev
    bindings: sev
    header: Sev
    type: enum:severity
    width: 60
    headerCss: headRisk
    cellRenderer: severity
  - id: occ
    bindings: occ
    header: Occ
    type: enum:occurrence
    width: 60
    headerCss: headRisk
  - id: det
    bindings: det
    header: Det
    type: enum:detection
    width: 60
    headerCss: headRisk
  - id: rpn
    bindings: rpn
    header: RPN
    formula: commonRpn
    width: 70
    headerCss: headRisk
  - id: mitigation
    bindings: mitigation
    header: Mitigation
    type: taskLink
    width: 200
    headerCss: headMitigation
  - id: occNew
    bindings: occNew
    header: Occ'
    type: enum:occurrence
    width: 60
    headerCss: headRevised
  - id: detNew
    bindings: detNew
    header: Det'
    type: enum:detection
    width: 60
    headerCss: headRevised
  - id: rpnNew
    bindings: rpnNew
    header: RPN'
    formula: commonRpnNew
    width: 70
    headerCss: headRevised
    cellRenderer: rpn

Severity, occurrence, and detection scales are defined as Polarion enumerations (Administration → Enumerations). A custom field on the work item type binds to the enum, and the column uses type: enum:<enumId> together with bindings: <fieldId>. The server loads enum values automatically — there is no separate top-level config section for ratings or enums.

Formulas

Initial RPN

Multiplies severity, occurrence, and detection to produce the initial Risk Priority Number (1-1000 scale).

formulas:
  commonRpn: |
    function(info) {
      var s = info.item['sev'];
      var o = info.item['occ'];
      var d = info.item['det'];
      if (!s || !o || !d) return null;
      return parseInt(s) * parseInt(o) * parseInt(d);
    }

Revised RPN

Recalculates RPN after mitigation actions using the updated occurrence and detection values. Severity does not change after mitigation.

formulas:
  commonRpnNew: |
    function(info) {
      var s = info.item['sev'];
      var o = info.item['occNew'];
      var d = info.item['detNew'];
      if (!s || !o || !d) return null;
      return parseInt(s) * parseInt(o) * parseInt(d);
    }

Action Priority (AIAG-VDA)

Logic-based risk prioritization replacing numeric RPN multiplication. Returns H (High), M (Medium), or L (Low) based on severity, occurrence, and detection thresholds. Used in Process FMEA configurations.

formulas:
  commonAP: |
    function(info) {
      var s = info.item['sev'];
      var o = info.item['occ'];
      var d = info.item['det'];
      if (!s || !o || !d) return null;
      s = parseInt(s); o = parseInt(o); d = parseInt(d);
      if (s >= 9) return 'H';
      if (s >= 5 && o >= 4) return 'H';
      if (s >= 5 || o >= 4 || d >= 6) return 'M';
      return 'L';
    }

Priority	Meaning	Criteria
H (High)	Immediate action required	Severity >= 9, or Severity >= 5 AND Occurrence >= 4
M (Medium)	Action recommended	Severity >= 5, or Occurrence >= 4, or Detection >= 6
L (Low)	Action optional	All other combinations

Cell Decorators

4-Tier Severity Decorator

Color-codes severity values from critical (red) through negligible (green). Applied to the severity column via cellRenderer: severity. The decorator function uses $(info.cell).toggleClass() because grid cells are reused — toggleClass ensures classes are properly added or removed as values change.

cellDecorators:
  severity: |
    function(info) {
      var v = parseInt(info.value);
      $(info.cell).toggleClass('sevCritical',   v >= 4);
      $(info.cell).toggleClass('sevMajor',      v == 3);
      $(info.cell).toggleClass('sevMinor',      v == 2);
      $(info.cell).toggleClass('sevNegligible', v <= 1 && v > 0);
    }
styles:
  .sevCritical:   '{background-color: #ffcdd2 !important; color: #c62828 !important;}'
  .sevMajor:      '{background-color: #ffe0b2 !important; color: #ef6c00 !important;}'
  .sevMinor:      '{background-color: #fff9c4 !important; color: #f57f17 !important;}'
  .sevNegligible: '{background-color: #c8e6c9 !important; color: #2e7d32 !important;}'

Severity	Color	Style
Critical (>= 4)	Red	`sevCritical`
Major (3)	Orange	`sevMajor`
Minor (2)	Yellow	`sevMinor`
Negligible (<= 1)	Green	`sevNegligible`

3-Tier RPN Color Coding

Colors RPN cells based on risk thresholds. Thresholds are user-configurable per deployment — the values shown below are an example, not a product default. Applied via cellRenderer: rpn on the RPN columns.

cellDecorators:
  rpn: |
    function(info) {
      var val = info.value;
      $(info.cell).toggleClass('rpn1', val > 0 && val <= 10);
      $(info.cell).toggleClass('rpn2', val > 10 && val <= 30);
      $(info.cell).toggleClass('rpn3', val > 30);
      if (val > 0) {
        var label = val <= 10 ? 'Low' : (val <= 30 ? 'Medium' : 'High');
        var color = val <= 10 ? '#4caf50' : (val <= 30 ? '#ff9800' : '#f44336');
        info.cell.innerHTML = val + '<br><span style="font-size:12px;color:'
                            + color + '">' + label + '</span>';
      }
    }
styles:
  .rpn1: '{background-color: #eaf5e9 !important;}'
  .rpn2: '{background-color: #fff3e0 !important;}'
  .rpn3: '{background-color: #ffebee !important;}'

RPN Range	Label	Color
1 — 10	Low	Green (#4caf50)
11 — 30	Medium	Orange (#ff9800)
> 30	High	Red (#f44336)

Workflow Views

Ten saved views guide analysts through the complete FMEA process from identification through verification. Each view defines a column visibility preset via columnIds. The @all token includes every column; a - prefix excludes a specific column from the @all set. The defaultView flag marks the view that loads on document open.

views:
  - name: Default
    defaultView: true
    columnIds:
      - "@all"
  - name: No Up/Down Risks
    columnIds:
      - "@all"
      - "-upstreamRisk"
      - "-downstreamRisk"
  - name: 1. Identify Failure Modes
    columnIds:
      - title
      - failureMode
      - cause
      - effect
  - name: 2. Initial Risk Ranking
    columnIds:
      - title
      - failureMode
      - sev
      - occ
      - det
      - rpn
  - name: 3. Link Downstream DFMEA
    columnIds:
      - title
      - failureMode
      - rpn
      - downstreamRisk
  - name: 4. Define Mitigations
    columnIds:
      - title
      - failureMode
      - rpn
      - mitigation
  - name: 5. Verify Controls
    columnIds:
      - title
      - failureMode
      - mitigation
      - occNew
      - detNew
  - name: 6. Final Risk Evaluation
    columnIds:
      - title
      - failureMode
      - rpn
      - rpnNew
      - mitigation
  - name: 7. Risk Summary
    columnIds:
      - title
      - failureMode
      - sev
      - rpn
      - rpnNew
  - name: Full View
    columnIds:
      - "@all"

Cross-Document Links

The FMEA cascade uses multiItemLink columns to connect failure modes across System, Subsystem, and Component FMEA documents. This creates traceable risk chains from top-level system failures down to individual component failure modes. The typeProperties.linkRole identifies the Polarion link role and typeProperties.linkTypes lists the work item types that can be linked (comma-separated string, not an array). Setting typeProperties.linkDirection: back traverses links in reverse for back-link rendering.

columns:
  - id: upstreamRisk
    header: Upstream Risk
    bindings: upstreamRisk
    type: multiItemLink
    width: 200
    typeProperties:
      linkRole: causes
      linkTypes: failureMode
      linkDirection: back
  - id: downstreamRisk
    header: Downstream Risk
    bindings: downstreamRisk
    type: multiItemLink
    width: 200
    typeProperties:
      linkRole: causes
      linkTypes: failureMode

The cascade hierarchy links three FMEA levels:

System FMEA (customer requirements level)
  └── Subsystem FMEA (function level)  ← bidirectional upstream/downstream
        └── Component DFMEA (characteristic level)

All linked items are stored as standard Polarion work items — Risksheet visualizes and edits this data but does not maintain a separate data store. Cross-document traceability is fully auditable through Polarion’s audit infrastructure.

Key Patterns

Dual RPN assessment — pre-mitigation RPN (S x O x D) and post-mitigation RPN (S x O' x D') on the same row, showing risk reduction at a glance. Severity stays constant because mitigation does not change failure impact.
Action Priority as RPN alternative — the AIAG-VDA logic-based AP formula provides more meaningful risk ranking than numeric multiplication. High severity always requires action regardless of occurrence/detection.
3-tier RPN color coding — inline labels (Low/Medium/High) appear below the numeric RPN value with color-matched text, making risk levels scannable without memorizing threshold values. Thresholds are user-configurable per deployment.
FMEA cascade via multiItemLink — upstream and downstream columns connect System, Subsystem, and Component FMEAs with linkDirection: back controlling traversal, enabling full failure chain traceability across documents.
10-step guided workflow — views walk analysts from identification through verification in a prescribed sequence, reducing errors by showing only relevant columns at each step. Views use @all with -columnId exclusions for compact definitions.
Levels create visual hierarchy — the 3 levels (System Element, Failure Mode, Cause) merge cells via controlColumn, while the underlying data model has only two entity types (risk items and task items). The visual hierarchy is independent of the work item structure.

​Levels Configuration

​Column Definitions

​Formulas

​Cell Decorators

​Workflow Views

​Cross-Document Links

​Key Patterns

​See Also