Failure Codes & FMEA Basics

Failure codes are a controlled vocabulary for what failed (mode), why (cause) and what fixed it (remedy) — the raw material of every Pareto and every FMEA.

Keep modes observable ("abnormal vibration", "seal leakage") and causes diagnostic ("lack of lubrication", "overloading"). The operator reports the mode; the technician who opened the machine sets the cause.

The two management-action causes to watch: "PM not done" and "poor quality spare". When they climb, the fix is process and procurement, not machinery.

FMEA (Failure Mode & Effects Analysis) ranks each mode by Severity × Occurrence × Detection. Your breakdown history with clean failure codes IS the occurrence data — which is why enforcing codes at work-order closure quietly builds your FMEA for free.