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Defect Check Sheet Worksheet (Tally by Day)

A check sheet is the simplest data tool in the Six Sigma toolbox: a form where counts are tallied as defects occur. This worksheet totals by row and by day so you can see patterns and take the counts straight to a Pareto.

Download:

Defect type	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Total
						54
						25
						12
						3
						4

Mon total

Tue total

Wed total

Thu total

Fri total

Week total

Average defects per day

19.6

Largest single defect count

Largest defect share of total

55.1%

Look for the vital few.

Record the lot size or units inspected each day on your export so you can convert counts to rates. Sort the final totals from highest to lowest to build a Pareto chart.

Capture defects from your ERP

Optional: a short review of how inspection and scrap transactions can feed check sheets and Pareto charts automatically.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the check sheet

Agree defect categories before you start. Use clear operational definitions such as 'burr taller than 0.1 mm on edge A', not 'bad finish'. Add one row per defect type and enter the daily counts. If your shifts differ, duplicate the worksheet per shift. The sheet totals each row, each day and the week, and shows the largest defect's share of all defects. Write down units inspected beside the data so counts can become rates.

Define each defect so two inspectors count the same thing
Keep an 'Other' row but investigate if it grows large
Collect at the point of detection, not from memory
Record units inspected to get a defect rate

From check sheet to Pareto

The weekly totals are the input to a Pareto chart. Sort defect types by total, compute each share and the cumulative share, and look for the few categories that account for roughly 80% of defects. Those are your project targets. Daily columns also reveal patterns: a spike on Wednesday may match a material lot, a tool change or a different operator, which a fishbone can then explore.

Common mistakes

The usual problems are vague categories, tallying after the fact, and changing definitions mid-study. Counting defects without the units inspected makes weeks with different volumes look unfairly different. Stratify the data by shift, machine or operator when you suspect they matter, and keep the form simple enough that operators will actually use it. A check sheet nobody fills in reliably is worse than none.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a check sheet in quality?

A check sheet is a structured form for collecting data in real time at the place it is generated. It is one of the seven basic quality tools and usually produces counts by category, time or location.

How is it different from a tally sheet?

They are largely the same idea. Tally sheets emphasize marking counts as events occur. Check sheets may also include checklists or defect location diagrams. This worksheet is a tally-style check sheet.

How long should I collect data?

Collect long enough to see typical variation, often two to four weeks or several hundred units, depending on defect frequency. Rare defects need longer. Avoid drawing conclusions from one unusual day.

Can I change the days?

You can edit the row labels and values, but the columns are fixed to Monday through Friday here. For other periods, export to Excel and adjust the columns, or run one worksheet per week.

If you would like defect counts captured directly from your ERP or MES inspection transactions, Netray can help automate that feed.

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