This template is for supplier quality engineers who must answer a complaint with an 8D. It covers D0 through D8 and, for each discipline, short prompts for the evidence a customer usually looks for. It follows common 8D practice across automotive, aerospace, medical devices, electronics, food, and general manufacturing. Your customer's form and CSR always win.
Related guides: how to write D4 root cause, escape point in 8D, containment actions examples, corrective action vs containment, why customers reject 8D reports, and 8D rejected? What to do next.
The 8 disciplines and the evidence they need
D0 is preparation: is an 8D needed, and which emergency actions are already running? Then come the eight disciplines. Each card below describes what the customer should find in the report body itself, not only in an attachment.
D1 · Form the team
Names, roles, and a team lead. Include production and quality, and design or the sub-supplier when needed — not only the quality department.
D2 · Describe the problem
What, where, when, how many, and how it was found — with numbers. Part number, lot or date code, and the requirement that failed with its spec value. An is / is-not analysis narrows the problem. Do not name a cause yet.
D3 · Containment
Every location: line, warehouse, transit, customer plant, other sites. Per location: quantity checked and NOK, including zero finds. Sorting method and a clean point so the customer can tell good parts from suspect ones.
D4 · Root cause
Separate occurrence cause and escape (non-detection) cause. Verify each with data, for example by reproducing the defect. “Operator error” is not a root cause.
D5 · Choose permanent corrective actions
At least one action per verified cause, for occurrence and for escape. Owner and due date. Training alone rarely closes the gap.
D6 · Implement and check effectiveness
Results after implementation: measurements, trial runs, boundary-sample checks. “No further complaints since then” alone is not evidence. End containment only after that.
D7 · Prevent recurrence
Updated documents with revision level: process FMEA, control plan, work and inspection instructions. Spread the lesson to similar parts and lines; record lessons learned.
D8 · Close the team
Close only when open items are done — or list open items with due dates. D8 status must match D3–D7. Recognise the team’s work.
Download the 8D report template
The Word file is a plain form with no macros. Under each discipline you will find guide questions you can delete or leave in place: is / is-not in D2, quantities and clean point in D3, occurrence and escape causes with verification in D4, verification data in D5 and D6, and process FMEA, control plan, and lessons learned in D7.
Download 8D report template (English, .docx)
Short pre-send checklist
- Do quantities in D2, D3, and D8 match?
- Does D4 name an occurrence cause and an escape cause, each backed by data?
- Does every verified cause have an action with an owner and a due date?
- Does D6 show real results, not only “will be monitored”?
- Are process FMEA and control plan named with revision levels?
- Is every important piece of evidence in the text, not only “see attachment”?
Read the report at the end the way the customer will: only the document, without the knowledge from your meetings.
Filled the template? Get a free Accept / Conditional / Reject advisory on the draft, with missing evidence named, before you send it.
8D Gate is a free pre-send readiness advisory. It doesn't replace the customer's decision. We don't store your 8D body in our database; you can delete anytime. Anthropic processes the text for the review.
FAQ
- Does this template replace our customer’s form?
- No. If your customer issues their own form or customer-specific requirements (CSR), those win. Use this template to draft and to check whether the evidence is in the body before you copy it into their format.
- Is a blank template the same as a filled 8D example?
- No. This page is a blank Word form with evidence prompts. For thin vs fuller section wording, see the 8D report example.
- Can 8D Gate review a report written in another language?
- Not yet. The review tool is version 0.1 and scores English-language 8D reports only (D1–D8). You can still use this template and the checklist on your own.
Free pre-send readiness check
Before you send, run the draft through the free supplier 8D readiness check or open Review.
Paste text or upload PDF, DOCX, or Excel. You get an Accept / Conditional / Reject advisory, a score, section ratings, missing evidence, and questions to close gaps, with a PDF download. It is a pre-send readiness check for your team, not a customer decision.
8D Gate is a free pre-send readiness advisory. It doesn't replace the customer's decision. We don't store your 8D body in our database; you can delete anytime. Anthropic processes the text for the review.
Get the free 8D / D4 checklist
Keep the one-page checklist next to the draft. It covers D1–D8 and goes deeper on D4 occurrence, escape, and verification.
Get the free 8D / D4 checklist