Table of Contents
Start From Your Problem
Find the situation that matches what is happening on your floor. Each one lists the tools that help, in the order most teams use them.
How to Use This Page
Pick the scenario closest to your situation. The recommended path is a starting point, not a rule - skip steps you do not need, and come back for the next one when you are ready. Each tool name links to its guide, and Start Here opens the first tool directly.
A customer complained or returned product
The customer is waiting for an answer. Record the complaint, protect them from more bad product, then find and fix the cause.
Recommended path
- Customer Returns - log the complaint, build the containment plan, and track everything in one record
- Nonconformance Report (NCR) - document the defect and its disposition
- Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys) - work out why it happened
- CAPA - fix the cause and prove the fix worked before you send the customer response
We found defects before shipping
Good news - you caught it. Now make sure the suspect product is controlled and the cause does not repeat.
Recommended path
- Nonconformance Report (NCR) - record what was found, how much, and what happens to it
- Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys) - get past the symptom to the real cause
- CAPA - assign and verify the corrective action
The same defect keeps coming back
Repeat problems mean the earlier fix treated a symptom. Look at the pattern, dig deeper, and update your risk analysis.
Recommended path
- Quality Events - see how often and where the defect shows up over time
- Fishbone Diagram - brainstorm every possible cause across people, method, machine, and material
- 8D - run a structured team problem-solving effort for a stubborn issue
- FMEA - update the risk analysis so the failure mode is controlled going forward
A machine keeps going down
You cannot fix what you cannot see. Start by capturing every stop with a reason, then attack the biggest causes.
Recommended path
- Downtime Tracking - let operators log stops with a reason code so you get real data
- Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys) - investigate the top downtime reason
- 5S System - many stops trace back to missing tools, clutter, or unclear standards at the machine
We need to prove our process is stable for a customer or audit
Auditors and customers want evidence, not assurances. Collect measurements, chart them, and share the results.
Recommended path
- SPC Quick Check - chart your measurements and see whether the process is in control
- Inspection Forms - collect ongoing inspection data in a consistent, auditable way
- Sharing Reports - send a read-only link or PDF to the customer or auditor
We are launching a new part or process
Think through what can go wrong before it does, then set up the checks that will catch it.
Recommended path
- FMEA - identify failure modes and rank them by risk
- Inspection Forms - build the inspection plan for the high-risk characteristics
- Quick Form - create checklists and forms quickly from a plain-language description
Our workplace is disorganized and we lose time hunting for things
Searching, walking, and waiting are hidden downtime. 5S gives you a repeatable way to organize and keep it that way.
Recommended path
- 5S System - use Fast Start to set up areas, checklists, and a scoring cadence
- 5S Audit - run a one-off audit with photos if you are not ready for the full system
- Downtime Tracking - measure whether the time lost to searching actually drops
A supplier caused a problem and needs to fix it
Protect your own customers first, document the defect, then hand the supplier a clear task with a deadline.
Recommended path
- Customer Returns - Supplier Involvement - if a customer is affected, flag supplier material in the containment plan
- Nonconformance Report (NCR) - document the supplier defect and quantities
- Work Items - External Tasks - assign the supplier a task they can respond to by one-click link without an account
We need to track who is doing what on open issues
Issues stall when nobody owns them. Put everything open in one place and give each item a name and a status.
Recommended path
- Control Center - your daily view of open returns, quality events, signals, and work
- Work Items - assign items to people, watch the unassigned count, and use My Queue as a to-do list
- Quality Events - log issues as they happen so they become trackable work
Our inspection records are on paper and we want them digital
You do not need to redesign your forms from scratch. Describe or photograph what you have and let the tools build the first draft.
Recommended path
- Quick Form - describe the form in plain language and get a draft in minutes
- AI Form Designer - refine the draft with AI help, including from a photo of the paper form
- Inspection Forms - publish the form so operators fill it on a tablet or phone and results are stored automatically
Still Not Sure?
If none of these match, start with the basics or ask the assistant to point you to a tool.