Risk Priority Number (RPN) – Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma Definitions

When performing a Process or Design FMEA, the Risk Priority Number (RPN) is a calculation to sort the risks from highest to lowest.

The RPN is calculated by multiplying the three scoring columns: Severity, Occurrence and Detection.

RPN = Severity x Occurrence x Detection

For example, if the severity score is 6, the occurrence score is 4, and detection is 4, then the RPN would be 96.

Learn more about the scoring tables on the FMEA page

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