Structured What If Technique (SWIFT) is a prospective hazards analysis method that uses structured brainstorming with guide words and prompts to identify risks, with the aim of being quicker than more intensive methods like

Failure mode and effects analysis Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA; often written with "failure modes" in plural) is the process of reviewing as many components, assemblies, and subsystems as possible to identify potential failure modes in a system and their causes and effe ...

(FMEA).Crawley F, Tyler B: ''Hazard identification methods.'' Rugby, UK: Institute of Chemical Engineers; 2003 It is used in various settings, including healthcare.Ward JR, Clarkson PJ, Buckle P, Berman J, Lim R, Jun GT: "Prospective hazard analysis: tailoring prospective methods to a healthcare context. Final report, Patient Safety Research Portfolio (Research Project PS/035)."
Cambridge, UK: Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge; 2010.

Limitations

As with other methods, SWIFT may not be comprehensive and the approach has some limitations. In a healthcare context, SWIFT was found to reveal significant risks, but like similar methods (including healthcare failure mode and effects analysis) it may have limited validity when used in isolation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Structured What If Technique Reliability engineering Quality assurance Systems analysis Reliability analysis