8D report template: what each section needs, with due dates

An 8D report template has eight numbered disciplines, D1 to D8, plus an optional D0 to decide whether an 8D is needed. For a supplier corrective action request the four sections that decide whether the problem comes back are containment (D3), root cause (D4), corrective action (D5/D6) and prevention (D7). The tool above fills in an 8D outline for a SCAR with each section's due date worked out.

What are the sections of an 8D report?

The usual layout is below. Formats vary: your customer may use its own form, and some drop D0 or merge D5 and D6. If a customer prescribes a form, use theirs.

Which sections do you chase a supplier for?

Chase D3, D4, D5/D6 and D7, each with its own date. D1 and D2 you usually write yourself when you issue the request, and D8 is your sign-off.

SCAR Chase works on exactly those four. It tracks D3, D4, D5/D6 and D7 as separate sections of each SCAR, so a supplier who sent containment on time but nothing on root cause shows as late on D4 alone.

How long should each 8D section take?

Containment is hours or a day. Root cause is days. Corrective action takes weeks. The defaults SCAR Chase starts from for a normal-priority SCAR, counted from the issue date, are:

• D3 containment: 1 day
• D4 root cause: 10 days
• D5/D6 corrective action: 20 days
• D7 prevent recurrence: 30 days

High priority is 1, 5, 10 and 20 days; low is 2, 15, 30 and 45. Change them for your account or for one SCAR. A customer's published terms can be stricter: Graco's supplier page asks for containment within 24 hours and implementation in 10, 20 or 30 calendar days by priority.

What does a filled-in 8D look like?

This invented example shows how much detail each section needs:

D2  Problem:   Bore dia 25.14-25.19 mm on 36 of 400 pcs, PO 88213.
               Print: 25.00 +0.05/-0.00.
D3  Containment: 100% sort at supplier; 364 pcs good, 36 scrapped.
               Our stock quarantined; 0 shipped to customer.
D4  Root cause: Boring bar wear; tool change interval set by
               operator judgement, not by count.
D5  Action:    Tool change every 150 pcs; in-process check of
               bore after each change.
D6  Verified:  Next 3 lots, 1,200 pcs, all in tolerance (report attached).
D7  Prevent:   Interval added to control plan and work instruction;
               same change made on the other two bore jobs.

Specifics make a response easy to accept. "Operator error" is not a root cause; an answer that explains why the process allowed the error is.

How do you chase an 8D that is late?

Chase the section, not the report. Reminding a supplier that "the 8D is late" is vague; asking for D4 that was due on the 18th is specific. For a log of what is due and late, build the sheet from our corrective action tracker guide.

SCAR Chase sends the reminders for you. It emails the supplier the day before each section is due, on the due date, then every 3 days while it is late, and copies the supplier's manager if the section stays late. A section that is still unanswered after the last reminder is marked stalled and listed in your Monday digest. A response that arrives is read for the text of each section (PDF, Excel and image files; Word files and scans with no text are kept for you to read yourself), and you review it before it counts.

When you issue the request, our corrective action request template guide has the fields that go with the 8D.

FAQ

Is 8D the same as a corrective action request?

No. A corrective action request is the document that asks for action. 8D is a structure for the answer. Many customers require suppliers to answer a SCAR in 8D format.

Do I need Excel for an 8D report?

No. An 8D report can be a PDF, a Word file, a spreadsheet or typed text. What matters is that each section is answerable, dated and reviewed before you close the request.

Can a supplier send the whole 8D in one file?

Yes. SCAR Chase lets a supplier upload one 8D report against several sections, so a single file can answer D4, D5/D6 and D7 together.