Manage 8D Reports: Defect and Improvement Management

With 8D reports, you document nonconformities in quality management in a structured way – from the complaint and the responsibilities through to the actions taken to correct them. Depending on the industry and standard, 8D reports are also referred to as CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action), corrective action report, deviation report or nonconformance report (NCR). This guide shows you how to manage your error and improvement management in the LDB.

Navigation

Open the 8D report management via:
Navigation bar → QM → 8D reports

Note: The exact names of the menu items may vary depending on the configuration of your LDB.

Overview

The 8D report is created as part of quality management when a nonconformity is identified. It documents the problem and the actions required to eliminate the underlying cause. The 8D report records the type of complaint, the responsibilities and the actions taken to correct the nonconformity.

Processing follows the 8D method (eight disciplines): from forming a team, describing the problem, implementing immediate containment actions and analyzing the root cause, through to corrective actions, verifying their effectiveness and closing the report.

The aim is to record all significant or quality-relevant:

Internal errors – including errors in proficiency tests
Customer complaints
Errors in external services and supplies
Suggestions for improvement

The 8D report management allows you to:

View all 8D reports with date, associated data records, team, problem description, tasks and status
Search and filter by categories, employees, customers and status
Add new 8D reports
Edit and view existing 8D reports
Comment on 8D reports directly in the overview
Open associated data records such as equipment, customers or orders

Description of the tabular overview

The 8D reports are displayed in a tabular overview. The following table describes the columns.

Figure: Overview of the 8D report management

Note: All texts highlighted in blue in the table are clickable links to the respective data types. Some columns are always available, others depend on the configuration. The names of the columns may also depend on the configuration.

Column	Description
No.	The number highlighted in blue is a link to the detail view of the 8D report.
Date	Shows the date of the 8D report.
Associated data records	Shows the data records linked to the 8D report, each preceded by its data type (e.g. Equipment, Customer or Order). An 8D report can be linked to several data records.
Team	Shows the profile pictures of the employees assigned to the 8D team.
Problem Description	Shows the description of the problem. The category is displayed as a colored tag at the top right. Existing comments are shown below with author and time. Click Write a comment to add a new comment.
Tasks	Shows the number of completed tasks in relation to the total number of tasks of the 8D report.
Status	Shows whether the 8D report is completed. An empty checkbox indicates an open 8D report, a checkmark indicates a completed one. Completed 8D reports are additionally highlighted in green.

Functions

Search functions

To find 8D reports quickly and precisely, various search options are available.

Quick search

The quick search allows you to search across data types without first switching to the respective area.

Find the search field in the navigation bar at the top left.
Focus the search field with / or s, or click into it and enter your search term.
Use the search shortcut [shortcut]:search term for a targeted search in this area.

Simple search

Use the Search field directly above the list of 8D reports (magnifying glass icon).
Enter the search term (e.g. the number or a term from the problem description), click the magnifying glass icon or press Enter to start the search.

Advanced search / detailed search

Click the slider icon to the left of the search field to open the advanced search form.
Filter by specific criteria such as category, employee, customer and status as well as other configuration-dependent fields.

Further search and filter functions

Use the drop-down filters in the top menu bar: Categories, Employees, Customers and Status.
The number of entries found is displayed above the table (e.g. 6 items found).

Add new 8D report

Click the green button + Add 8D report at the top right.

Figure: Add 8D report

Further information: Create / Edit 8D Report

Edit existing 8D report

Click the 8D report number highlighted in blue and then click the orange button Edit 8D report.
If required, use the search functions to find the 8D report faster.

View 8D report

Open the full detail view of an 8D report.

Click the 8D report number highlighted in blue to switch to the detail view.

Further information: LINK_TO_PAGE=Detailansicht eines 8D-Berichts

Comment on 8D report

Add comments directly in the overview without opening the detail view, and inform the team about the comment by e-mail.

Click Write a comment below the problem description.
Enter your comment.
When the comment is saved, an e-mail containing the comment is sent to the problem-solving team by default. Clear the checkbox if you do not want the e-mail to be sent.
The comment is displayed below the problem description with your name and the time.
Click the pencil icon next to a comment to edit it.

Numbering system for 8D reports

The LDB assigns 8D report numbers according to a configurable pattern. This allows the numbering to be adapted to many requirements – from a simple sequential number to a format that contains the date or other information.

Note: The number format is configured centrally. Please contact your customer support to adjust the format.

What options are available?

Sequential counter: A sequential number with a fixed number of digits and leading zeros (e.g. 0001).
Date information: Year, month, day or calendar week as part of the number.
Fixed letters and characters: Prefixes such as 8D and separators such as -.
Information from the 8D report: Values from master data fields of the 8D report.
Counter grouping: The counter restarts e.g. annually or monthly.