What this checklist is, and what it isn’t
It is a generic supplier process audit checklist for supplier quality engineers and buyers: before approving a new supplier, as a periodic check, or after a complaint. Each check has a result column (Y / P / N / NA) and an evidence column, because a tick without evidence tells the next reader nothing.
It is not an IATF 16949, ISO 9001 or VDA 6.3 audit standard, and a good result on it isn’t a certificate or a customer approval. Your company’s audit procedure and your customer’s requirements come first. Delete checks that don’t apply and add the ones your part needs.
The 11 areas on the checklist
| Area | What to look at |
|---|---|
| 1. Quality system and documents | Certificates (scope and expiry), document revisions on the floor vs released, customer drawings and requirements available |
| 2. Incoming material and sub-suppliers | How critical sub-suppliers are approved, incoming records for recent lots, hold / release status visible |
| 3. Process control | Control plan matches the station, work instructions followed, first-off approval, parameters with a reaction plan, PFMEA updated after complaints |
| 4. Measurement and inspection | Calibration, measurement capability on key characteristics, inspection records at the planned frequency |
| 5. Nonconforming product and containment | Marked and segregated rejects, who decides disposition, rework instructions, how suspect stock would be contained |
| 6. Corrective action and 8D | Open complaints with owners, occurrence and escape causes with verification, effectiveness data, read-across |
| 7. Traceability | Trace one shipped lot back to material, date, machine and inspection record during the audit |
| 8. Change management | Changes assessed before they are made; customer notified and approval recorded where required |
| 9. Training and competence | Qualification matrix vs the operators you actually saw; training before critical operations |
| 10. Maintenance and tooling | Preventive maintenance done, overdue items visible, tool wear limits |
| 11. Handling, storage, packaging, shipping | Damage and mix-up protection, FIFO, labels to customer requirements, final release |
How to run the audit
- Before: agree scope and part numbers, read the supplier’s open complaints and recent 8Ds, and ask for the control plan and PFMEA for the audited part in advance.
- On site: follow the part from receiving to shipping. Compare the documents with what happens at the station, and pick real records yourself instead of the ones prepared for you.
- Trace one lot: take one shipped lot and trace it back to material, date, machine and inspection record. It tests several areas in ten minutes.
- Close-out: read the findings back to the supplier before you leave, agree owners and dates, and say which findings need a formal corrective action.
Asked a supplier for an 8D after the audit? Get a free Accept / Conditional / Reject advisory on their text, with missing evidence named, before you accept 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. Your text is sent to Anthropic (Claude API) only to run the review; Anthropic doesn't use API data to train its models and by default deletes it within 30 days. Content flagged under its Usage Policy may be kept up to 2 years.
Evidence that tells you something
Most weak audits record what the supplier said. A useful audit records what you saw. Illustrative examples:
| Weak (what was said) | Stronger (what was seen) |
|---|---|
| “We have a calibration procedure.” | Three gauges picked at the station: IDs, due dates and the last calibration records. |
| “Operators are trained.” | Qualification matrix compared with the two operators observed on line 3; one not yet signed off for the press. |
| “The control plan is followed.” | Control plan frequency 1 per hour; inspection sheet for lot 4471 shows 3 checks in an 8-hour shift. |
| “We do 8Ds for every complaint.” | Last two 8Ds read: one has a verified escape cause, the other stops at “operator error”. |
From audit finding to corrective action
A finding should name what was seen, the requirement it misses and the evidence, so the supplier can’t answer with a general promise. For findings that affect the product or repeat, ask for a corrective action with a date. If you issue it as a SCAR, the SCAR template keeps the request, the supplier’s D1–D8 answer and your review on one form.
When the answer comes back, check that it contains containment of suspect stock, a root cause for occurrence and for escape with verification, and effectiveness data after the change. The supplier SCAR 8D checklist lists what to look for, and responding to an audit finding with an 8D covers the supplier’s side. For containment evidence, see the D3 containment evidence checklist; for effectiveness, see D6 verification of effectiveness.
Common mistakes in supplier audits
- Taking a certificate as proof that the process is controlled.
- Auditing the quality office and never standing at the station.
- Ticking “yes” with no record number, lot or date written down.
- Findings written as opinions (“weak process control”) instead of what was seen.
- No follow-up date, so the corrective action is never checked.
FAQ
- Is this an IATF 16949 or ISO 9001 audit checklist?
- No. It is a generic supplier process audit checklist. It doesn’t follow a standard’s clause structure and doesn’t replace a certification audit, a VDA 6.3 process audit, your company’s audit procedure or your customer’s requirements. Use it as a starting point and adjust it to the part and the risk.
- What should happen after a finding?
- Write it with what you saw, the requirement it misses and the evidence. For findings that affect the product or keep coming back, ask the supplier for a corrective action, often as a SCAR answered with an 8D, and agree a date for the evidence.
- What does 8D Gate check?
- It gives a pre-send readiness check on the 8D text: an Accept / Conditional / Reject advisory with missing evidence and questions. It isn’t a customer decision. The review tool is v0.1: it reviews English 8D reports, and the interface and report are in English. Templates are also available in German, Czech and Polish.
Free pre-send readiness check
Before an 8D goes to the customer, or before you accept one from a supplier, run the text through the free supplier 8D readiness check.
Upload a PDF, Word (DOCX) or Excel 8D. 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. Your text is sent to Anthropic (Claude API) only to run the review; Anthropic doesn't use API data to train its models and by default deletes it within 30 days. Content flagged under its Usage Policy may be kept up to 2 years.
Get the free 8D / D4 checklist
Keep it next to the audit checklist for when a finding turns into an 8D. It covers D1–D8 and goes deeper on root cause, escape and verification.
Get the free 8D / D4 checklist