Functional cutting being carried out, the data-gathering and information relating to the entity to be studied will be able to be carried out. These elements can require deeper research thus it will be advisable to plan in order to start the analysis while having all useful information. This search for information is carried out by the work group. It is a question of gathering, in addition to the descriptive file of the entity (schedule of conditions, specifications, plans, ranges...) the various possible states of the entity (on standby, in initialization, operation, test...). The FMECA study can relate only to some of these states. The data comes from two sources:
•   The first, internal, results from the studies or former files, of the documentation of the technical data.
•   The second, external, is accessible near specialized organizations.
The work group evaluates the relevance of the data, and identifies the source and control of the current information. Then this information is synthesized and disseminated.