So you’re at your doctor’s appointment having your yearly physical. While the last thought on your mind is a Lean Six Sigma tool, believe it or not one particular tool dominates your appointment. Which one? It’s the check sheet.
The check sheet might look different in your doctor’s office than the one used by Kaoru Ishikawa, an organizational theorist and Professor of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. Professor Ishikawa was known for his quality management innovations.
Keeping track of defects, types of defects or symptoms is as important for your health as it is in your business. This tool is an extremely simple way to collect vital data.
Check Sheet Examples
Some different examples include:
- Classification Check Sheet
- Defect Location Check Sheet
- Frequency Check Sheet
- Measurement Scale Check Sheet
The type that can be devised will depend of the data that you need to measure. For example, if you want to measure the frequency of support calls your company gets in a week’s time, you would use the Frequency Check Sheet.
The one caveat is that you must use check marks, hence the name check sheets. This is done for a quick and easy overview.
This organizational tool is so easy and unrestrictive to use. Many businesses have been able to fix pressing issues very easily using the check sheet.
Do Not Confuse the Check Sheet with the Checklist
A check sheet, regardless of the type, is for collecting vital data, for correcting a problem, or measuring quality.
A checklist, for example, is for marking off materials that are needed for a project. Perhaps you have a checklist of the criteria for a job.
A quick mind shift can make a world of difference. Think of check sheets as exceptional organizational tools. After all, these tools have saved large and small companies millions, if not billions of dollars. Just ask GE.
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