All terms
Fault Tree Analysis
Top-down deductive analysis tracing how faults can combine to cause an undesired event.
Reviewed by Christian Espinosa, Founder, Blue Goat CyberLast reviewed May 5, 2026
Definition
FTA per IEC 61025 uses Boolean logic to model how component-level faults and external events combine to cause a defined top-level hazardous event, supporting both qualitative and quantitative analysis.What this means in practice
Often paired with FMEA: FTA reasons backward from a harm; FMEA reasons forward from components. FTA is favored for systems with safety-critical software and rare catastrophic failure modes.Cross-references
Used by
Things that build on this term.
Often confused with
Distinct concept frequently mistaken for this one.
Primary references
3 sourcesLink health: 3 verified· last checked 2026-05-09
IEC·1MDIC·1FDA·1
- 1
IEC 61025VerifiedIECwebstore.iec.ch
- 2
MDIC Case for QualityVerifiedMDICmdic.org
- 3
FDA - Quality SystemsVerifiedFDAfda.gov
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