“No, I specifically said the promotional
keychains were supposed to be 3 inches tall and 5 inches wide. I didn’t say they
were supposed to be 5 centimeters tall and 3 centimeters wide. Weren’t you
listening to me when I told you about what I wanted?”
If this conversation sounds familiar to you, you don’t need to be told that communicating with suppliers can be difficult. Details about product quality and specifications can get lost in translation—or unheard altogether. The result is often dissatisfaction with products that you don’t want.
A quality control inspection checklist can be an easy remedy to this problem. Sometimes referred to as an inspection criteria sheet (ICS) or simply a QC checklist, this document outlines quality requirements and specifications in a way that makes them clear, concise and user friendly for your supplier. It’s one of the simplest, yet most effective, ways to prevent defects in your goods.
Why create a quality control inspection checklist?
A quality control inspection checklist serves two main purposes:
- Outlining quality standards and product requirements the supplier is expected to meet and
- Providing objective criteria for inspecting the product to ensure the customer’s expectations are being met.
It’s helpful to share a detailed checklist with your supplier, even before starting production. This gives the supplier an opportunity to review your requirements and notify you if any are unreasonable or need to be addressed prior to mass production. A QC checklist would likely prevent the dimensional issues in the keychain example used earlier, since a checklist typically provides dimensional tolerances and specifies measuring methods.
When it comes to checking the product before shipping, the quality control inspection checklist should serve as the clear standard used for inspection. The checklist is not only helpful for internal QC staff checking the product, but also essential for you or any third-party inspector you hire to inspect on your behalf.
Meeting regulatory standards with QC checklists
An effective QC checklist can also help ensure regulatory standards are met,
which is especially important where food and pharmaceuticals are concerned. In April of 2016, Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals was reprimanded by the FDA for
quality control issues ranging from the data integrity of lab records to
manipulating records of batches of drugs. Additionally, the FDA said that, “[the
company] failed to establish adequate written procedures to assure manufactured
drugs have the stated strength, quality, and purity.”
This example shows how a QC checklist could have, at the very least, helped explain to the manufacturer what assurances are necessary to satisfy requirements—particularly regulatory requirements.
"A QC checklist can help meet #regulation requirements"
Other benefits of creating a QC checklist
One of the less obvious benefits of collaborating with your supplier on developing a quality control inspection checklist is that it can improve your relationship with your supplier. Working with the supplier on a checklist shows them you value their feedback. Additionally, the supplier may be able to suggest ideas to improve product quality that you might not have considered.
What to include in a quality control inspection checklist?
Since the checklist will need to be easily interpreted by you, your supplier and any third-party inspector, it needs to be direct and written in a clear format. It may also be helpful to have the document translated into the supplier’s native language, which you can do relatively easily by finding a freelancer on websites like Upwork or Guru. With this in mind, there are several technical areas that should be covered in any effective QC inspection checklist.
Packaging requirements
This first major section should contain details about the shipper carton, any
inner carton and any retail carton or packaging.
Packaging requirements are important for your supplier to reference here,
regardless of whether packing will be verified during inspection.
The packaging section should contain the following:
- Packaging weight & dimensions;
- Shipper carton labeling & marking requirements;
- Shipper carton material requirements (e.g. single or double layer, binding method, white or brown cardboard);
- The packaging & assortment method; and
- Retail packaging printings, graphics & labeling
Product requirements
When it comes to creating a quality control inspection checklist, including a section with product requirements might seem obvious. But many importers tend to overlook what this section should entail.
Product requirements shown in the checklist should include:
- Product weight & dimensions;
- Material & construction;
- Product color (consider including Pantone color codes where applicable); and
- Markings & labeling (e.g. UL or the voltage rating for electronics, hang tags)
On-site tests and checks
Almost any product inspection should contain some on-site tests and checks.
These are very important to include in a QC checklist not only for inspection,
but also to inform the supplier of what tests the product and packaging will be
expected to pass. This section should also layout the procedure for each
test or check, the criteria for pass or fail and any related
tolerance.
Some examples of on-site tests and checks are:
- Barcode scan check (for any items with a barcode);
- Carton drop test (for packaging);
- GSM check (for fabric density);
- Moisture check (for wood items, such as furniture or moldings);
- Cross hatch adhesion test (for enamel-coated cookware items);
- Vulcanization test (for rubber items, especially footwear);
- Function test (applicable for most items); and
- Hi-pot test (for electrical items)
Required inspection equipment
Let’s say you’ve told your inspector that they need to conduct a GSM check of fabric used at your supplier’s factory. Without notifying the supplier in your QC checklist, that inspector might arrive at the factory to find that the equipment needed for the GSM check isn’t available. Since you wouldn’t have any way to verify fabric density at that point, you might be forced to:
- Reschedule the inspection, needlessly costing time and money or
- Ship the goods without knowing fabric density, which could result in unhappy customers or receiving unsellable product if density is too low.
Simply stating which tests and checks are required for a product isn’t always adequate. It’s highly recommended that you also include which equipment is necessary for each test and check. If you aren’t sure which equipment is needed, your supplier or third-party inspector should be able to advise.
Specifying who will provide equipment
Just as important as specifying the required equipment is clarifying
who will provide it. In the fabric density example above, you
might have included this test and the required equipment in your quality control
inspection checklist. But the supplier could mistakenly think
the inspector would bring the testing equipment. Likewise, the inspector might
assume the factory had the equipment available on-site. Including who is
expected to provide particular equipment helps prevent this.
Generally, the supplier is expected to provide larger equipment that’s difficult to transport, such as a metal detection machine for garments or a large container scale (related: 5 Factory-Provided Product Inspection Tools). The inspector typically brings smaller tools like calipers, measuring tape and PMS swatches (related: 6 Essential Tools for Product Inspection).
Defect classification
This part of a quality control inspection checklist is one that many importers are familiar with—though often less directly and in limited detail. You might point to specific quality defects and other issues and tell your supplier which ones you can and cannot accept. You might even provide photos of these and describe the level of severity of different issues that’s acceptable.
But including a section in your QC checklist for classifying defects is a much better way to provide objective tolerances for quality issues. This section will typically point out any and all potential quality defects and classify each as either “minor”, “major” or “critical” (see 3 Types of Quality Defects in Different Products for an explanation of classifying defects).
This section also tells the supplier and inspector about any tolerances for product defects. For example, you might classify a gap between product components as “minor” if it measures 3 mm or less but “major” if it exceeds 3 mm. You might specify that glue residue on a product is a “minor” defect if it can be easily removed but “major” if it cannot be removed. Clarifying defects in a QC checklist ensures that everyone is using the same standard for assessment.
"QC checklists ensure tolerances for product defects are understood and agreed upon"Conclusion
Creating a quality control inspection checklist should be among the first steps you take to develop an effective quality control program. A detailed checklist can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. It can defend against sub-standard or non-conforming goods. Since this document is in writing, it can also serve as a handy reference not just for workers on the factory floor, but also for if you have a disagreement with the factory about product standards.
Getting an absolutely perfect production run every single time is nearly impossible. But you can bring that goal closer to reality by preventing confusion and conveying expectations with a clear QC checklist.
And don't forget to check out the manufacturing podcast episode that covers this topic!
Do you have any tips for what else is important to include in a QC checklist? Share them in the comments below!