What the example shows, discipline by discipline
Fictional case: a supplier ships powder-coated brackets with the coating too thin on the upper flange. All data is invented for illustration.
| Step | What a reviewer can check in the PDF |
|---|---|
| D2 | Suspect window lots 2609–2611, NOK only in lot 2611 (46 of 1,200), spec 60–90 µm vs 38–52 µm found, and where the defect is not (lots 2609–2610: 0 in 2,400). |
| D3 | Every location with quantity checked and NOK, zero results included, and a clean point from lot 2613. |
| D4 | One occurrence cause and one escape cause, each with how it was verified and the data. |
| D5 | An action per cause, owner, due date and a trial result with the criterion set in advance. |
| D6 | Criterion fixed before the data: 10 lots, 9 readings each. Result 90/90 in spec on lots 2618–2627, then the sort ended. |
| D7 | Each changed document with old and new revision, date and owner, plus the read-across. |
| D8 | Totals that match D3 (49 NOK: 46 at the customer, 3 in transit) and “customer decision pending”, not “closed”. |
How to use an example without copying it
- Compare section by section: does your D3 list every location, including the ones with zero NOK?
- Check that your numbers match across D2, D3, D6 and D8. Mismatched totals are the first thing many reviewers spot.
- Look at how D6 states the criterion before the result. “No complaints since” would not have carried this report.
- Don’t borrow the wording of the causes. A cause copied from an example is a cause nobody verified.
A good-looking example does not make a report acceptable. Your customer decides, against their own form and requirements.
Before the 8D goes to the customer, check it with the free 21-item checklist and the free 8D templates.
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Blank versions: the 8D report template (Word) or the 8D template in Excel. For D4, the 5 Whys and fishbone templates. Then go through the free 21-item 8D checklist.
FAQ
- Can I send this example to my customer as my 8D?
- No. Every company, part, person and number in it is invented. Use it to see what level of evidence a filled 8D carries, then write yours from your own verified facts and your customer’s form.
- Why is the example only 2 pages?
- Because a good 8D is dense, not long. Most of the length in rejected reports is narrative without numbers. The two pages hold every count, date and revision a reviewer will check.
- Is there an editable version?
- The blank 8D report template is free as Word on the 8D report template page and as Excel on the 8D template Excel page. The Word version of this filled example is in the 8D Template Pack.
- Which languages are available?
- Templates are in English; only the 8D report template also has German, Czech and Polish versions.