Product performance integrated database apparatus and method

A method of determining product performance comprising the steps of:

• collecting product performance data;
• determining the failure mode of detected product failures;
• determining probability of occurrence of each detected failure;
• ranking the probabilities of occurrence of each failure to obtain a occurrence value;
• determining the severity of effects of each failure;
• ranking the severity effects of each failure to obtain a ranked severity effect value;
• and
• determining a preliminary risk assessment of each failure as a product of the ranked severity value and the ranked frequency of occurrence value.

An apparatus for determining product performance comprising:

• means for collecting product performance data;
• means for determining the failure mode of detected product failures;
• means for determining probability of occurrence of each detected failure;
• means for ranking the probabilities of occurrence of each failure to obtain a occurrence value;
• means for determining the severity of effects of each failure;
• means for ranking the severity effects of each failure to obtain a ranked severity effect value;
• and
• means for determining a preliminary risk assessment of each failure as a product of the ranked severity value and the ranked frequency of occurrence value.