fejlmåde

Fejlmåde is a Danish term used in quality assurance, reliability engineering, and incident analysis to describe the manner in which a fault or error occurs. Literally formed from fejl meaning error or fault and måde meaning manner or method, it is commonly translated in English-language technical writing as "error mode" or "mode of failure." The term focuses on the process or path that leads to a fault, rather than the fault itself.

In practice, fejlmåde is used to categorize and analyze failure pathways in equipment, software, or procedures. Identifying the fejlmåde helps teams prioritize mitigations by addressing underlying causes or mechanisms, rather than merely noting that an error happened. It is often discussed alongside related terms such as fejltilstand (fault state) and fejlmekanisme (failure mechanism), which describe the current condition and the causal process, respectively.

Common examples of fejlmåde include misalignment of components causing wear, incorrect parameter settings in a control system, and inadequate maintenance procedures leading to premature failure. The term's exact usage can vary by field; some authors may prefer "fejlmode" or use standard English terms like "failure mode" in bilingual contexts.

Related topics include fault analysis methods used in reliability engineering, such as fault tree analysis and failure mode and effects analysis, which help organize and mitigate Risiken associated with different fejlmåde in complex systems.