Design Engineering

DFMEAs that update when
field data proves them wrong.

Engineer-reviewed, source-traced, linked to PFMEA and field evidence. The risk model stays current as your product evolves.

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Referenced results your engineers can defend.

TacitAI Design Engineer — DFMEA workspace

Controls built into the Design FMEA workflow

Source-linked
evidence on every proposed row
Review workflow

Row-level
approve, revise, or reject
Human authority retained

Change-aware
affected content flagged for review
No autonomous release

Requirements → risk
traceability across functions and failure modes
Evidence graph

AIAG-VDA
7-step structure supported
Customer determines compliance

The Gap

The DFMEA is approved. The evidence keeps changing.

Tests, engineering changes, supplier records, and field events can invalidate assumptions long after the review meeting ends.

When those signals remain disconnected, teams review stale assumptions and discover coverage gaps after release.

01

“500 components – how do I map them all?”

Map the BOM and requirements before DFMEA review begins.

Import approved structures from Teamcenter, Windchill, or Excel. Connect product, subsystem, component, requirement, characteristic, and interface evidence. Supplier FMEAs can be compared with the hierarchy to surface possible coverage gaps. Every proposed row retains its source for engineer review.

BOM Import
SC/CC/HIC Classification
Requirements Traceability
Supplier FMEA Matching

Product hierarchy with BOM import and requirements traceability

02

“What can fail, and what flows downstream?”

Trace design risk into process controls without manual reconciliation.

Relate proposed failure modes to requirements, materials, geometry, and interfaces. Carry approved severity and characteristic information into PFMEA and control-plan review. Support AIAG-VDA Action Priority and legacy RPN workflows while your team retains classification and release authority.

DFMEA & SFMEA
DFMEA → PFMEA → Control Plan
FMEA Verification
AIAG-VDA Native

Design-to-process-to-asset mapping with component traceability and confirmation workflow

03

“Update severity to 8 for all thermal failure modes.”

“Review severity for all thermal modes.” See every proposed change before approval.

Use natural language to request specific cell changes and the evidence behind them. Approve or reject each proposal individually. Ask questions across design specifications and test reports with citations. Nothing enters the controlled analysis without your workflow.

Command Blocks
Per-Row Approve/Reject
Cited Answers
34 Languages

AI companion with per-row approve and reject workflow

04

“How does my DFMEA connect to PFMEA and control plan?”

Three-lane canvas. DFMEA, PFMEA, FMECA – all connected.

Three lanes show how design failure modes relate to process controls and field strategies. Click any connection to inspect its evidence. Design changes flag potentially affected PFMEA and control-plan content for review. Field events surface possible regressions without changing controlled records.

DFMEA → PFMEA → CP
Visual Connections
Change Propagation
Regression Detection

Connections canvas – DFMEA to PFMEA to control plan

05

“We use the same steering column in 3 platforms. Do I update each one?”

Reuse approved component knowledge without hiding variant differences.

Convert confirmed component content into a reusable template. Propose it for products using comparable components while keeping platform, duty, interface, and configuration differences visible. Family View shows deltas side by side; each product owner confirms applicability.

Component Library
Template Auto-Build
Push Propagation
Family Delta View

Component template library with FMEA portfolio, families, and propagation view

What You Get

See the design risks your current analysis doesn’t cover.

DFMEA

Engineer-Ready DFMEA

70-90% complete. AIAG-VDA compliant with Action Priority (AP) and RPN scoring. Design requirements, characteristics, and mechanisms mapped. All rows traceable to source.

SFMEA

SFMEA with Interface Mapping

System-level failure modes across subsystem interfaces. Cascading effects, signal integrity, and protocol risks identified.

DVP&R

DVP&R with Kanban Tracking

Every DFMEA row linked to verification activities. Kanban view: planned, in-progress, passed, failed. Coverage metrics per component. Pass/fail status per test method. Test plans aligned to risk priority.

SC/CC

Review Critical-Characteristic Links Across the Risk Chain

Propose SC/CC/HIC links from approved DFMEA content into PFMEA and control-plan review. Preserve OEM-specific symbols, source evidence, and owner approval at each handoff.

Diagrams

Prepare Boundary and Interface Diagrams Before Review

Draft system boundaries, component interfaces, and energy, signal, and material flows from approved BOM and specification evidence. Engineers validate the structure analysis.

Nets

Make Cross-Component Cause-Effect Paths Reviewable

Propose functions, function loss, failure modes, and cause-effect chains across component boundaries. Support AIAG-VDA Steps 3–4 while engineers validate the relationships.

Review

Design Review Package

Consolidated risk view aligned to APQP Phase 2-3 gates. Top failure modes by Action Priority, open actions, DVP&R coverage, and SC/CC status. Ready for your design review.

Source

Full Source Traceability

Every FMEA row linked to the spec paragraph it came from. When specs change, affected rows are flagged. Audit-ready.

Supplier

Supplier DFMEA Validation

Supplier DFMEAs validated against your design. Missing coverage, inconsistent AP ratings, and unlinked verification flagged before design sign-off.

Pass your engineers’ review → scale site-wide.

Maturity model

Meet your team where they are.

From no structured risk strategy to a fully auditable, cross-functional FMEA that feeds design changes, verification plans, and field evidence.

L0
Reactive
No structured risk strategy. FMEAs don’t exist or are checkbox exercises.