What is CHECK SHEET ?

The management faces with many kinds of problems in the day to day running of a business or an industry. For proper solution of such problems correct decisions have to be made.

Decisions based on correct factual data rather than on mere opinions have proved to be correct most of the time.

If data is to be collected, it is essential to make the purpose clear and to have data, which clearly reflect the facts. It is also important that data is gathered in a simple way and in an easy-to-use form. A Check Sheet, which is a format used as an aid in assembling, compiling and analyzing data, could be used in problem solving.

Furthermore it can be identified as a type of job aid used to reduce failure by compensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task. A basic example is the "to do list". A more advanced checklist would be a schedule, which lays out tasks to be done according to time of day or other factors. A primary task in checklist is documentation of the task and auditing against the documentation. And these also consider as a simple form with certain formats that can aid the user to record data in a firm systematically.

Data are “collected and tabulated” on the check sheet to record the frequency of specific events during a data collection period. Most organizations follow a standard check sheets that have already been made available to the project team to ensure that there is consistency in the tasks performed by the project team. In some areas, the quality checklists are also available from commercial service providers or associations thus making it easier for the project management team to check if their deliverables have met the standards of the market.

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The check sheet is an incredibly powerful and versatile tool that sees a lot of use in lean organizations. It can be easily adapted to a number of different contexts, and mastering its use can lead to great results in terms of increase in your productivity and the accuracy of each operation performed by the company. To accommodate the different popular use cases for the tool, five general common check sheet types have been created over time. It’s important to understand the specific intended use of each one, so that you’ll know how to pick the most appropriate tool for any given situation.

The check sheets are in several, there are few major types check lists can be identified as follows,

1.?????Production process distribution check sheet

2.?????Defective item check sheet

3.?????Defect location check sheet

4.?????Defect cause check sheet

5.?????Check – up confirmation check sheet

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A production process distribution check sheet is used to collect data about the extent of variation in a production process. For such an analysis usually a histogram is used. However, when preparing a histogram, to collect a great deal of data and then make a frequency distribution table from these data is a tedious task. In a production process if the individual values are not of major importance and it is sufficient to ascertain the form of the distribution and the relationship to the specification limits, the above mentioned type of check sheet could be used.

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Check sheet for production process distribution

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This is an example for a production process distribution check sheet, which can be prepared in advance. A cross (x) or a tally mark is put in an appropriate box each time a measurement is made so that the distribution pattern is ready when the measurements are finished.

The person collecting the data must be careful not to forget to make any check marks or not to make any incorrect check marks as mischecks are almost

impossible to discover later. When the machines, materials or workers differ – that is, when the conditions influencing the data differ – it is best to use a separate check sheet each time and to compare them later. When using a single check sheet for different data sources it is better to use different colours or marks.

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In order to reduce the number of defectives it is necessary to know the kind of defects and their percentages. Since different defects have different causes, it is of no use just to list the total number of defects. The defects and their frequencies must be recorded and appropriate action should be taken to eliminate the defects starting with that having the highest frequency.

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External defects such as scratches, scars, spots of dirt are found on many kinds of products and various are being made at many plants to reduce these defects. The defect location check sheet is very useful in solving this kind of problem. Generally, many check sheets of this type have sketches or expanded views on which markings are made so that the distribution of defect occurrence can be observed.

This is a check sheet used to examine bubbles in a laminated automobile windshield glass. The location and form of bubbles was indicated on the check sheet and it was found that most of the bubbles were on the right side. On investigation it was discovered that the pressure used in laminating was out of balance – the right side receiving less pressure. The machine was adjusted and the formation of bubbles was eliminated almost completely.

Check sheet is a “consistent, effective, and economical approach” that can be applied in the auditing of quality assurance for reviewing and to follow the steps in a particular process.

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·????????Helps to analyze the data for corrective and preventive actions.

·????????Helps in making the Bar graph, Histogram and Pareto Chart.

·????????Helps to take decision at a glace to control the product and process related non conformance.

·????????Helps to detect how often a problem occurs.

·????????It facilitates systematic record keeping or data collection.

·????????Effective way of displaying data and easy to use

·????????The check sheet is a simple and effective way to display data.

·????????Useful in identify the root cause of a problem

·????????Provides a structure for uniform data collection

·????????It is a good first step in understanding the nature of the problem as it provides a uniform data collection tool.

·????????Can be used to substantiate or refute allegations

·????????It is very useful to help distinguish opinions from facts in the Define and Measure phase of the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC framework.

·????????Primary step in the construction of other graphical tools

·????????Check sheets help the user to arrange the data for the utilization later

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Check sheets are efficient and powerful tools to identify frequently problems, but they don’t have effective ability to analyse the quality problem into the workplace.

Descriptive checklists may be exhaustive, including the impacts during the various stages of the project. However, no quantitative information is provided regarding magnitude and degree of impact. The main drawback of the checklist method is the inability to relate individual activities to environmental components affected by these activities.

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When audit check sheets are not available, or poorly prepared, the following disadvantages can happen and should be taken into consideration:

ü?An inexperienced auditor may not be able to clearly communicate what he is looking for;

ü?Checklists can be restrictive if used as the auditor's only support mechanism;

ü?Checklists should not be a substitute for audit planning;

ü?Generic checklists, which do not reflect the specific organizational management system, may not add any value and may interfere with the audit;

ü?Poorly prepared checklists can slow down an audit due to duplication and repetition;

ü?The focus of the checklist may be too narrow in scope to identify specific problem areas.

Sometime it can be a time-consuming/costly to prepare for some organizations: here someone has to make the checklist to begin with. Doing it well, with a lot of thought, takes time; and that means it could cost the company money. Human Resources might be able to find a standard checklist to use, but it's likely some questions won't apply, and others are not addressed so that the

company will need to customize it anyway.

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A check sheet is one of the seven basic quality tools. Data collection can often become an unstructured and messy exercise. It is a simple form data could be collected in an organized manner and easily converted it into readily useful information. Data collection is important because it is the starting point for statistical analysis.

The function of a check sheet is to present information in an efficient, graphical format. A check sheet is a table or a form used to systematically register data as it is collected. Check sheets help organize data by category. They show how many times each particular value occurs, and their information is increasingly helpful as more data are collected. Main applications of a check sheets include registering how often different problems occur and registering the frequency of incidents that are believed to cause problems.

A simple tool that helps to prevent these mistakes is the checklist. A checklist is simply a standardized list of the required steps developed for a repetitive task. There are seven benefits to using a checklist

1.?Organization: Checklists can help us stay more organized by assuring we don’t skip any steps in a process. They are easy to use and effective.

A to-do list is a special form of a checklist that we talk about in our time management training course, Master of Time.

A to-do list allows you to quickly and efficiently manage your various tasks. It’s simply a list that keeps all of your tasks and items to complete in one place.

The to-do list is not only a great tool for executives; anyone will find this tool useful. The to- do list allows you to schedule activities and not let anything “fall between the cracks.”

2.?Motivation: Checklists motivate us to take action and complete tasks. Since checklists can make us more successful, it becomes a virtuous circle where we are motivated to accomplish more due to the positive results.

3.?Productivity: By having a checklist you can complete repetitive tasks more quickly and efficiently, and with fewer mistakes. This gives you more time in the day and assures fewer “fire drills.” You become more productive and accomplish more each day.

4.?Creativity: Checklists allow you to master the repetitive tasks and utilize more brain power for creative activities. Since the checklist means fewer fire drills and less stress, you not only have more time to be creative, you have the ability to think more clearly.

5.?Delegation: By breaking down tasks into specific tasks, checklists give us more confidence when delegating activities. When we are more comfortable that tasks will be done correctly, we delegate more and become significantly more productive.