Free 8D Checklist (PDF): D1–D8 and D4 Root Cause

The checklist is free to download, print, and share. No sign-up is needed for the PDF. It is for suppliers in automotive, aerospace, medical devices, electronics, food, and general manufacturing. Your customer’s 8D form and requirements always come first; use the checklist as a last read before the report goes out.

Resource pages and trainers are welcome to link to this page or directly to the PDF.

What the checklist covers

It follows the 8D order and spends the most space on D4, the section that is most often sent back.

D1–D3: Team, problem, containment

The team is named with roles, including someone from the process where the defect escaped.
D2 is quantified: what, where, when, how many, how it was detected (is / is-not).
Customer part numbers, lot or date codes, and the defect photo are referenced.
Containment covers all stock: plant, in transit, warehouse, customer site.
Containment results are numbers (parts sorted, found NOK), not “done”.

D4: Root cause

Two causes are stated: occurrence (why it was made) and escape (why it was not caught).
The escape point is named: the first process step that should have caught it.
5-Why or Ishikawa reaches a controllable process cause, not “operator error”.
Every cause candidate is shown as verified or ruled out, with evidence.
The defect was reproduced by switching the cause on and off, or equivalent proof.
The systemic cause is considered: why did the PFMEA or control plan allow it?

D5–D6: Actions

One permanent action per root cause, for occurrence and for escape.
Actions are specific (who, what, by when), not “retrain operators”.
Effectiveness is verified with data after implementation.
Containment is removed only after verification.

D7–D8: Prevent recurrence

PFMEA, control plan, and work instructions are updated, with revision numbers.
Lessons learned are applied to similar parts and lines.
Customer-specific requirements and deadlines (from the customer's supplier manual or SCAR) are met.

A final check closes the page: could a reader outside your plant follow the report without asking a question, and does every claim have evidence attached or referenced?

Ticked every box? Get a free Accept / Conditional / Reject advisory on the report text, with missing evidence named, before it goes to the customer.

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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.

How to use it

Print it and read the finished report against it, line by line.
Ask someone outside the 8D team to do the same read.
For each unchecked box, add evidence or explain why it doesn’t apply.
Keep it with the report as a record of your pre-send review.

8D report templates (Word)

Starting from a blank page? Use a free Word template, then check the result against the checklist.

Guides behind each check

Free pre-send readiness check

A checklist shows what to look for. To see how the report text reads against it, use the free supplier 8D readiness check, or try the sample 8D review first.

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.

Review my 8D freeFree, no cardSupplier 8D readiness checkFree, no card

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Free 8D checklist: D1–D8 and D4 root cause, on one page