In a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, what does the SEV (Severity) rating evaluate?

The SEV (Severity) rating in a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) specifically evaluates the impact significance of a failure on customers. This rating assesses how serious the consequences would be if a particular failure mode were to occur. It helps prioritize which failure modes should be addressed first, based on the level of impact they could have on customer satisfaction and safety, among other factors.

In this context, a higher severity rating indicates that the failure could lead to significant harm, serious financial loss, or other detrimental effects for the customer or organization. This focus on the outcomes of failures highlights the importance of understanding customer needs and the potential repercussions of product or service failures on those needs.

The other options address different aspects of risk assessment within FMEA. The likelihood of the failure mode occurring relates to the occurrence rating, while the likelihood of detection is concerned with how easily a failure can be identified before it affects the customer, which corresponds to the detection rating. Duration of failure may concern operational aspects but does not fall under the scope of the severity rating, which is strictly focused on the consequences of a failure.