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In The Loop

The document discusses 8D reports, which are quality reports used by suppliers to inform customers about the status of complaint-related actions. An 8D report follows eight disciplines or steps: 1) forming an interdisciplinary team, 2) describing the problem, 3) analyzing the root cause, 4) determining corrective actions, 5) implementing those actions, 6) preventing recurrence, 7) congratulating team members, and 8) documenting lessons learned. The report should include administrative details like the issue number and description, as well as sections for the root cause analysis and planned/implemented corrective actions.

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32 views

In The Loop

The document discusses 8D reports, which are quality reports used by suppliers to inform customers about the status of complaint-related actions. An 8D report follows eight disciplines or steps: 1) forming an interdisciplinary team, 2) describing the problem, 3) analyzing the root cause, 4) determining corrective actions, 5) implementing those actions, 6) preventing recurrence, 7) congratulating team members, and 8) documenting lessons learned. The report should include administrative details like the issue number and description, as well as sections for the root cause analysis and planned/implemented corrective actions.

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adam
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BACK TO BASICS BY MATTHEW BARSALOU

In the Loop
Use 8D reports to track the status of customer complaints
AN 8D REPORT is a quality report sup-
pliers use to inform a customer about the
status of complaint-related actions. This
type of report is often used in the automo-
tive industry, but can and should be used
in other industries.
The name 8D report refers to the eight
disciplines (or steps) that must be taken
when managing a customer claim.1 An
8D report is typically created in either a
template or generated by a complaints
management program. The exact layout
varies from organization to organization.
The top of the 8D report, however,
always contains useful administrative
information. The issue should be assigned The root cause analysis (RCA) section After the problem has been corrected,
an individual report number and a descrip- may be the longest, and if necessary, it can actions must be taken to ensure it can’t
tive issue name for tracking purposes. continue on a second page. The RCA sum- recur elsewhere. This covers comparable
The part number and description of the mary should provide the customer with products or processes as well as future
claimed part also should be listed. It can confidence that the root cause has been products that may have the same problem.
be helpful to include the customer and the understood and verified. It also should de- Typical actions include updating failure
supplier’s numbers as well. With each ver- scribe the quality tools used to investigate mode and effects analysis for designs
sion, include the date that the claim was the problem. or processes, as well as updating the
raised and the date of the latest revision. The RCA summary can be used as control plan. The final step in the 8D is to
Following the administrative details, documentation if a customer complaint is congratulate the team members for their
the first step is to form and list an inter- rejected. Evidence that the part in ques- contributions. QP
disciplinary team. A team leader must tion is not the cause of the customer’s
REFERENCE
be designated, and there should be a problem should be detailed. Simply writ- 1. Laurie Rambaud, 8D Structured Problem Solving: A Guide
champion available to support the team. ing “complaint rejected” is not an accept- to Creating High Quality 8D Reports, second edition,
PHRED Solutions, 2011.
Often, the champion will be a member of able response to a customer complaint.
management responsible for the depart- The next section contains a description
ment in which the problem is thought to of the planned corrective actions. These
have originated. Additional team members actions should be based on the root cause MATTHEW BARSALOU is a statistical
problem resolution Master Black Belt
from departments potentially affected also and must be verified to ensure that they will (MBB) at BorgWarner Turbo Systems
Engineering GmbH in Kirchheimbo-
must be designated. correct the problem. It also is important to landen, Germany. He has a master’s
The next step is the problem descrip- ensure corrective actions don’t introduce a degree in business administration and
engineering from Wilhem Büchner Ho-
tion. This may sound simple, but it is a criti- new problem. The planned implementation schschule in Darmstadt, Germany, and
a master’s degree in international business and global political
cal step for properly investigating the issue. date should be listed along with the name
economy from Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS. An ASQ
The problem description should describe of the person responsible for implementing senior member, Barsalou is an ASQ-certified quality technician
and engineer, Six Sigma Black Belt, and manager of quality/
the problem as viewed by the customer, the actions. The implemented corrective organizational excellence. He is a Smarter Solutions-certified
not the organization. Also, don’t forget to actions are listed together with the date lean Six Sigma MBB, a technical reviewer for QP, editor of
the Statistics Division’s Statistics Digest and the ASQ country
include the number of reported units. they were implemented. counselor for Germany.

80 QP • www.qualityprogress.com

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