Supplier Quality Audit Checklist — 8D & IATF 16949

Supplier Quality Audit Checklist

This checklist is for auditing a supplier's quality management system, with a specific focus on 8D capability and corrective action. It is written for SQEs and audit teams working in an IATF 16949 environment, and it works equally well for supplier onboarding, annual audits and problem-driven audits after a repeat defect.

Score each line pass / partial / fail, and record the evidence you used. A checklist without evidence is just an opinion.

8D Process Capability

• Supplier has a documented 8D procedure with defined triggers and required response times
• D4 root cause analysis reaches the management root cause (MRC), not just "operator error"
• D5-D6 corrective actions are verified with measured data, not only plans
• D7 includes an FMEA update and evidence of horizontal deployment to similar parts and lines
• A sample of past 8D reports shows genuine problem-solving quality

What good looks like: you can pull any closed 8D from the last 12 months and see a 5-Why that reaches a system cause, a numeric D5 verification result, and an updated PFMEA.

SCAR Response Quality

• Average SCAR response time is within the agreed SLA
• Repeat defect rate for closed 8Ds is below 2%
• D4 contains an escape point analysis (why the defect reached the customer)
• D0-D3 customer communication provides containment status updates

What good looks like: the supplier sends containment confirmation within 24 hours, a root cause with evidence within the agreed window, and no repeat of the same defect within 12 months.

Process Control

• SPC is implemented for key characteristics, with Cpk >= 1.33
• A change management process exists and the supplier notifies the customer of any process change
• Incoming inspection capability covers critical characteristics
• Calibration is current for all inspection equipment

What good looks like: control charts are maintained on the line rather than reconstructed before an audit, and the supplier notifies you of every process change without being asked.

How to Score and Follow Up

• Pass: the practice exists and evidence is available on request.
• Partial: the practice exists but is inconsistent or lacks records.
• Fail: the practice is missing or evidence cannot be produced.

Any fail on an 8D or corrective-action line is significant: it means the supplier cannot reliably close the problems you send them. Close out fails with a formal SCAR and re-audit within 90 days.

Audit Interview Questions

1. Walk me through your last 8D from D0 to D8.
2. Show me the data that verified your last corrective action.
3. How do you decide when a problem needs an 8D versus a quick fix?
4. What did your last FMEA update change?
5. If you change a process, how would you notify us before we find out through a defect?

Their answers reveal more than the documents do.

→ Generate supplier 8D responses automatically at report.8d.wiki