Check Sheets

Histograms
Check Sheets
Scatter Diagram
Cause & Effect Diagram
Flow Charts

Let us now take a look at Check Sheets. As some team members were really not too clear on the purpose or construct of the Check Sheet, Amla and Lauren agreed to lead the team on this lesson.

WHAT IS A CHECK SHEET?

Check sheet:
A Check Sheet (also known as a Tally Sheet), is said to be a simple data recording material, customarily designed to enable a user to readily interpret the results of an activity or process. Kaoru Ishikawa is a Japanese organisational theorist noted for his quality management innovations. It has been confirmed that a check sheet is one (1) of the seven (7) tools designed by Ishikawa, used to assist in the measurement of total quality of a good or service or, basically provides a structured way for collecting quality-related data, as a rough means for assessing a process or as an input.
• A definition of a Check Sheet can be seen here

The most important characteristic of a check sheet is that it provides data (facts) about how a process is working and offers information about improvement opportunities. The check sheet collects data for the number of times an event occurs. By tracking the frequency of an occurrence, an organization can learn about a process.
• Let us see what this video on check sheets has to say:

RECAP OF WHAT IS A CHECK SHEET

What is a Check Sheet?

  • Check sheets are data collection forms constructed to record specific information about a process in a organised manner
  • Check sheets are designed to answer the question “How often does this event occur and under what conditions?”
  • Check sheets can be used either to support conclusions concerning a process on its own or, may be a step in the process of assembling the data to support one of the other improvement tools

WHAT DOES A CHECK SHEET CONSIST OF?
A check sheet consists of a sequence of steps or events that is marked off or in layman’s terms “checked off” by the user, in a specific order or as the anticipated events occurs. Check Sheets basically take the form of a Table or Diagram that is then supplemented to Quality Control Charts, in which they are used to record the occurrences of events. They are structured in a table form where the rows can be representative of a timeline and the columns, the data category you wish to collect information on. Check Sheet or Tally Sheet may be used in any process or function within the organisation. Check sheets work best when a person can observe and document the number of times an incident occurs.
• Click Here to get a clear description of the steps involved in creating a check sheet.

We need to….:

  1. Determine what process needs to be observed.
  2. Determine the kind of information that needs to be collected.
  3. Determine the period of time the data will be collected (days/weeks).
  4. Designate a person or persons with responsibility for collecting the data.
  5. Make sure there is a good understanding of what information needs to be collected and the process for collecting it.
  6. Be always wise and do a daily check on the collections to make sure employees are being diligent with collecting the information.
• Click here for a site that explains why we use Check Sheets.

Benefits of using Check Sheets:

  1. Effective way of displaying data.
  2. Easy to use.
  3. Can identify the root cause of a problem.
  4. A first step in the construction of other graphical tools.
  5. Provides a structure for uniform data collection.
  6. Can be used to substantiate or refute allegations.

• This link may be helpful in your understanding of check sheets:
Click here

Steps Involved In Creating A Check Sheet

  1. As a team, brainstorm to determine the exact data to be collected and how this data will be organised into categories and then subcategories (taking the time to really think this through will be very helpful later on in the project).
  2. Always stay focused on the improvement opportunity, (what you are trying to learn about) and keep asking yourself what you will use the data for.
  3. Develop exact Operational Definitions of each variable.
  4. Construct the data collection form or forms that will allow recording of the observations or events in their proper classifications as determined earlier.
  5. Test a draft copy of the check sheet by confirming that all possible observations or events may be recorded in one and only one place on the check sheet.
  6. Make necessary corrections to the check sheet.
  7. Collect the desired process data using the check sheet.

• A simple example of a check sheet can be seen by visiting this site.

Another simple example of a Check Sheet: Check Sheet Example
The figure below shows a check sheet used to collect data on telephone interruptions. The tick marks were added as data was collected over several weeks.


Check Sheet Example

ACTIVITY
Candy Creations has been receiving a number of complaints that Tropical Paradise candy was brittle and crumbling. Create a check sheet using the following information to assess the main problem that is causing the candy to crumble.
Complaints:

  • Candy not boiled to spec (B)
  • Ph level was not correct (Ph)
  • Brix level was not correct (BL)
  • Operator did not oil the die sufficiently (O)
  • Cooling temperature of candy was inaccurate (CT)

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Batch 1 BL, O BL, B BL BL, Ph BL
Batch 2 BL BL CT BL, CT BL

Having gone through the session on Check Sheets and completing the activity, it appeared that a problem lay in the area of Brix level being incorrect. The team proceeded to look at the next tool, the Scatter Diagram – which examines relationships, or something of the like….? Shivanie and Shayna volunteered to cover this topic as they both had prior experience working with scatter diagrams