Why D7 so often gets sent back
A D7 that says “PFMEA and control plan updated” without a revision number, a changed row or a date asks the reviewer to take it on trust. Most reviewers won’t. What they want to see is the change itself: the row before and after, the new check on the control plan, and which instruction the operator now works to.
This page and the checklist cover the document side of D7. For what D7 means overall (corrective vs preventive, lessons learned, timing), see the D7 guide. Your own FMEA method, document control and the customer’s requirements come first.
Order matters: verify first, then change the documents
| Step | What has to be true |
|---|---|
| D4 cause verified | Occurrence and escape cause, each shown to switch the defect on and off or matched to data. |
| D5 action chosen and trialled | One action per verified cause, with a trial result. |
| D6 shows it works | Results from the lots, period or volume you set in advance, with no repeat of the defect. |
| D7 documents updated | PFMEA, control plan, work instructions and other standards revised to match what now runs on the line. |
| D8 closure | Proposed only when D6 and D7 are done, or open D7 items are listed with owner and date. |
Writing an action into the control plan before D6 shows it works locks an unproven fix into your standards. See D6 verification of effectiveness.
The checklist, section by section
- Link to the 8D: complaint no., part and operation, the verified occurrence and escape causes, the D5 action and the D6 result.
- Was it in the PFMEA? If yes, why the ratings were too optimistic or the control didn’t work. If no, why the FMEA team missed it, and what changes in the FMEA process, not only in this row.
- PFMEA before and after: failure mode and cause wording, prevention and detection controls, O, D and S, Action Priority (AP) or RPN, whichever method your customer uses, and the new revision.
- Control plan: characteristic, method or gauge, sample size and frequency, reaction plan, and whether the extra D3 check stays or ends and why. A new gauge needs its measurement system analysis.
- Documents changed: work, setup, inspection and maintenance instructions, drawings and the training matrix, each with number, old and new revision, date and how people were told.
- Customer and change control: whether the change must be notified to the customer or needs their agreement first, and the internal change record.
- Read-across: similar lines, products, tools and plants checked, why each could share the cause, the result and the action.
- Ready for D8: extracts attached, escape side covered, lessons learned recorded, open items with owner and date.
Before the 8D goes to the customer, check it with the free 21-item checklist and the free 8D templates.
8D Gate’s AI review is paused for now. The checklist and templates are free to use; your customer’s requirements always come first.
Example: a PFMEA row before and after
Illustrative, fictional example: a stamping supplier finds a worn locating pin behind brackets with the hole out of position, and no check after pin changes.
| Item | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Failure mode / cause row | Row 14: “hole position out of tolerance”, cause “operator error” | Row 14 revised, cause “locating pin worn beyond 0.05 mm”; new row 14a for the escape: “no position check after pin change” |
| Prevention control | None | Pin replaced every 20,000 cycles (tool-life counter) |
| Detection control | Visual check, 1 part per shift | Go/no-go position gauge, first part after every pin change and 5 parts per shift |
| O / D ratings | O 3, D 7 | O 2, D 4, set with the D6 data, not with the hoped-for result |
| Severity | 7 | 7, unchanged (no design change) |
| Revision | PFMEA rev. 11 | PFMEA rev. 12, dated, with the review team named |
The ratings are examples only; use the rating tables of your own FMEA method. The point is that each change traces back to a verified cause and to D6 data. The same layout works elsewhere: an electronics line would change the AOI program and the stencil cleaning interval, a food plant its HACCP plan and the line check frequency.
Common D7 document mistakes
- “PFMEA updated” with no revision, date or changed row.
- The cause in the PFMEA still says “operator error” while D4 found something else. See why operator error is not a root cause.
- O or D lowered before D6 data exists.
- Only the occurrence side changed, although the escape point was part of D4. See the escape point guide.
- The control plan has a new check, but the work instruction the operator uses still shows the old one.
- Extra D3 sorting quietly stays forever, or quietly stops, with nothing written down.
- “Applied to all similar products” instead of a list of what was checked.
FAQ
- Do I have to update the PFMEA after every 8D?
- You have to check it after every 8D. If the failure mode and cause were already there with realistic ratings and the control simply wasn’t followed, the fix may sit in the work instruction or training records instead. Then say so in D7: “PFMEA rev. 11 checked, no change, because …”. A silent D7 reads as if nobody looked.
- Should the occurrence or detection rating go down?
- Only as far as the D6 data supports. Lowering O or D because an action was planned, not because it was shown to work, is one of the most common things reviewers question. Severity normally stays the same unless the design changes.
- Does a control plan change need customer agreement?
- It depends on the customer. Many automotive customers expect to be told about process changes, and some need to agree before the change, for example under their PPAP or change notification rules. Check their customer-specific requirements before the new control plan goes live.
- Is updating the PFMEA preventive action?
- Mostly not. Changing documents for the process that failed acts on a problem that already happened, so it is corrective. The read-across to similar lines and products that haven’t failed yet is the preventive part.
Check it before you send
Once D7 is done, go through the D8 closure checklist and the free 21-item 8D checklist.
Before the 8D goes to the customer, check it with the free 21-item checklist and the free 8D templates.
8D Gate’s AI review is paused for now. The checklist and templates are free to use; your customer’s requirements always come first.