What are quality checklists and how to use them on the shop floor

A quality checklist is a checklist that gives information with regard to quality assurance activities. Information found on a quality assurance checklist are guides for identifying and planning quality assurance activities. Quality control inspection checklists serve two main purposes – 1. they outline quality standards and product requirements the company is expected to meet and 2. they provide objective criteria for inspecting the product to ensure it meets customer’s expectations.

What are quality checklists?

Manufacturers often want to know what the best way is to clarify their product requirements, both to their suppliers and a quality assurance department that will check a product. An effective quality control (QC) checklist most often serves this purpose. It is basically a written guide for a product’s contents, packaging, colour, barcodes, appearance, possible defects, functions, and special requirements. It’s also sometimes called an “inspection criteria sheet” or inspection checklist.

Checklists for similar products often share common inspection criteria. But typically, each item has some specific requirements. That’s why it’s important for QAs to tailor a quality control checklist to the item’s unique needs. Key elements to take a look at:

Product requirements
Packaging requirements
On-site product tests and checks
Defect classification
Collaboration between the manufacturer, suppliers, line assemblers and Quality Assurance Inspector in drafting inspection checklists

Why quality checklists are a must for any manufacturing company

Quality assurance knows that they need clear product requirements or else they risk sending out items that don’t meet their customer’s expectations. Many defects trace back to a check that was skipped, done differently on another shift, or done against an outdated standard. Adding quality checks within procedures is a simple way to support operators while keeping quality at the forefront of operations.

By integrating these checks into your work instructions using digital forms, employees can check their work as they follow a procedure. Not only does this ensure that quality checks are performed regularly, but they become a part of the process, rather than an additional task after the procedure is completed.

A sample quality checklist

Below is a simple structure for a machined or assembled part. Adapt the items to your product and drawing. Every item should be answerable with a yes/no or a measured value. “Check part quality” is not a checklist item.

First-piece check (after setup or changeover)

Correct drawing and revision at the workstation
Material or batch matches the work order
Critical dimensions measured and recorded against their tolerances
Visual check of surface, burrs and marking against the reference sample
First piece approved by the setter and by quality before series production starts

In-process checks (at a fixed interval, e.g. every hour or every set number of parts)

Critical dimensions re-measured and recorded
Visual check against a photo of a correct part and a photo of the typical defect
Labels or markings present and legible
If anything is out: stop, segregate the parts since the last good check, inform the team leader

End-of-line checks

Function test, where applicable
Quantity matches the work order
Packaging, labels and barcodes correct
Nonconforming parts tagged and moved to the quarantine area
Checklist signed and kept with the batch records

Checks that involve measuring instruments

When a check needs a calliper, micrometer, gauge or scale, the result depends on the instrument as much as on the operator. Three things help. Make calibration status visible: a label with the next calibration date on the instrument, and a checklist item asking the operator to confirm it is in date before measuring. Show the method: how to zero the instrument, where on the part to measure and how many readings to take, ideally on a short video, because two people measuring the same part in different ways get different results. Record the actual value, not only OK/NOK, so trends show up before parts go out of tolerance. Add a final step on how to clean and store the instrument, so the next person finds it ready to use.

Conclusion

Managing quality is a bit like coaching a professional sports team. A big part of the job is about repeating the same thing over and over, to get the basics right. On the shop floor, quality checklists are how those basics get repeated: the same checks, at the same points in the process, against the same criteria, on every shift. Keep them short, specific and placed at the step where the defect can occur. Record the results so you can see patterns, not just pass or fail single parts. Digital checklists also remove the transcription step: results are captured once, at the workstation, and quality can see them straight away.

Where REWO fits

In REWO, a quality checklist is a Form. It can sit inside a work instruction at the step where the check belongs, include photos of correct and incorrect parts, and record each result with who completed it and when. Analytics shows which version of the instruction each operator confirmed, which helps when an auditor asks.

What are quality checklists and how to use them on the shop floor