# FMEA Recommended Action Closure Checklist: Verify Before You Re-Rate > Source: https://netray.co/tools/fmea-recommended-action-closure-checklist > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer A checklist to confirm an FMEA action is implemented, verified with evidence, re-rated honestly and carried into controls and documents before it is closed. ## Category quality ## Audience - Quality engineer - Process engineer - Quality manager ## Tool **Kind:** checklist **Groups:** #### Action definition **Items:** **Text:** The action is written as a specific, measurable change, not 'improve' or 'be more careful' **Critical:** true **Text:** The action targets a named cause or failure mode on a specific FMEA line **Critical:** true An owner is named, with a person rather than a department A target date is set and agreed with the owner The action type is clear: prevention, detection, or design change High severity lines have an action even when the ratings are below threshold Management has resources approved for the action #### Implementation evidence **Items:** **Text:** The change is implemented, not just planned or in a purchase request **Critical:** true **Text:** Evidence is attached: drawing, work instruction, photo, change record or test report **Critical:** true Related engineering change or document revision is released Tooling, fixtures or software changes are validated on the line Operators and setters have been trained on the new method Gauges or sensors added are calibrated and in the calibration system Supplier-facing changes are communicated and acknowledged #### Effectiveness verification **Items:** **Text:** A trial, run-at-rate or capability study confirms the change works **Critical:** true **Text:** Detection controls are challenged with known bad samples or master parts **Critical:** true Process capability or defect data supports the new occurrence rating No new failure mode was introduced by the change Verification covers all shifts and lines that run the process Results are reviewed by someone independent of the action owner Pilot data period is long enough for the failure rate being claimed #### Re-rating **Items:** **Text:** Severity is not lowered unless the design or effect actually changed **Critical:** true New occurrence rating is justified by prevention evidence, not by hope New detection rating is justified by demonstrated detection capability The original ratings and date are kept for history Action priority or RPN is recalculated and compared with the target Lines still above target are kept open with a new action #### Documents and linkage **Items:** **Text:** FMEA revision level and date are updated **Critical:** true **Text:** Control plan reflects the new or changed controls **Critical:** true Process flow diagram and work instructions are consistent with the change Related FMEAs on similar parts or lines are checked for the same cause Lessons learned are added to the failure mode library Customer approval is obtained where the contract requires notification The action status is closed in the tracker with the closing date and approver **Scoring Note:** Any unchecked critical item means the action should not be closed. A high count of unchecked non-critical items suggests the action is implemented but not yet embedded. ## Content **Intro:** An FMEA is only as good as its closed actions. Many sheets show actions marked done, with ratings lowered, and no evidence that anything changed on the line. This checklist helps a reviewer confirm each action is real before the risk rating moves. **Sections:** #### How to use the checklist **Body:** Work through it per action, not per FMEA. Start with the definition: an action that cannot be verified cannot be closed. Then check implementation evidence, effectiveness verification, re-rating and linkage. Critical items are the ones auditors and customers ask about first. Print or export it and attach it to the action record, or use it in the FMEA review meeting to test each closure live. #### Why re-rating needs discipline **Body:** The easiest way to improve an RPN is to lower the numbers. Severity should not change unless the design or the effect has changed, as it describes the consequence, not the likelihood. Occurrence falls only if a prevention control acts on the cause, and detection improves only if a control demonstrably catches the failure mode. The AIAG and VDA handbook asks teams to assess the effectiveness of actions and to document the results in the optimization step, so keep evidence together with the revised ratings. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Closing actions on the target date rather than on evidence is the usual failure. Others include updating the FMEA but not the control plan, forgetting to retrain night shift and lowering severity because a detection control was added. A further trap is applying the fix to one line while the same process runs on three other lines. **Bullets:** - Do not close actions based on intent or a purchase order - Challenge new detection controls with known bad parts - Check every line and shift that runs the process - Update the control plan in the same change **Cta:** If actions, change records and inspection data are in your ERP, Netray can help show closure evidence alongside each FMEA line, with read-only access to your records. **Faq:** #### When can an FMEA action be closed? **Answer:** When the change is implemented, evidence is attached, effectiveness is verified, ratings are re-assessed honestly and the control plan and related documents match. A completed task alone is not enough to close an action. #### Can I lower severity after an action? **Answer:** Only if the design or the effect itself changed, for example by removing a hazard. Adding a control that reduces occurrence or improves detection does not change severity, because severity describes the effect of the failure if it occurs. #### How do I verify a new detection control? **Answer:** Challenge it with known bad samples or master parts, ideally at the limit of acceptable and unacceptable, and record that it rejects them reliably. A control that has never been shown to catch the failure mode should not earn a low detection rating. #### Who should approve action closure? **Answer:** Someone independent of the action owner, commonly the quality engineer or FMEA team leader. For customer-controlled characteristics, the customer may also need to approve changes under the contract or quality agreement. ## Search terms fmea action closure, fmea recommended actions checklist, fmea action verification, fmea re-rating after action, close fmea actions evidence, fmea follow up checklist, fmea action effectiveness, fmea living document checklist --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json