Production Work Order Monitoring Checklist

Material handler pulls per the kit list and stages at the cell. Capture lot and heat numbers on the traveler — traceability gaps caught at audit usually trace back to skipped lot capture at kit time. Verify any time-sensitive material (adhesives, resins, paints) is within shelf life.

Confirm fixtures, gauges, and cutting tools are checked out per the setup sheet. Inspect for wear or damage before staging — a chipped insert or a fixture out of position is the usual root cause when first-piece dimensions go off.

Cross-check the assigned operator against the training matrix for the equipment, including forklift class (1910.178 is equipment-specific) and any special-process certs. Uncertified operator on a regulated process is an audit finding even if the parts come out right.

Pull the latest drawing rev from PLM and verify the traveler matches. ECN released without operator training cascade is a top-cause defect — if the WO traveler shows an older rev, hold release until the floor copy is updated.

Pull the dispatch list from MES and compare planned cycle time per piece to the takt rate the cell needs to hit customer demand. Flag any WO where actual cycle is trending above takt for the planner to rebalance.

Capture downtime in the OEE system using the standard reason-code list (changeover, tooling, material starvation, breakdown, quality hold). Generic "other" entries are the reason availability metrics drift — push back if reason codes look soft.

Push slip notifications same-shift, not at end-of-day reporting. Customer service needs lead time to renegotiate ship dates before the WO actually misses.

First-article must be measured against every critical and major dimension on the inspection sheet before the operator is released to run. Skipped FAI on changeover is the single most common cause of full-batch scrap. AS9102 form is required for aerospace WOs.

Sample per ANSI Z1.4 at the AQL on the control plan — typically every Nth piece or once per hour, whichever is tighter. Record measurements on the inspection sheet, not just a pass/fail tick.

Pull the X-bar R charts on critical features in Minitab or InfinityQS. A trend of seven points on one side of center is a Western Electric out-of-control rule — react before the process actually goes out of spec.

Past-due calibration on a gauge means every measurement taken since the cal-due date is suspect. Red-tag past-due gauges immediately and pull a backup from the calibrated pool.

Move the parts to the red-tag area, not back to WIP. Open the NCR in the QMS with named reviewer and SLA — NCRs that sit open 90+ days are how segregated stock gets accidentally re-mixed when the rack fills up.

If the same defect mode appears across multiple NCRs, that's a CAR trigger — a single retraining note in the original NCR is not effective corrective action. CAR closure requires effectiveness verification, typically a defect-free run for an agreed cycle count.

Spot-check any active maintenance jobs for proper LOTO per 1910.147 — locks applied, tags signed, attempted re-energization tested. Verify machine guards are in place and interlocks not bypassed. Top-10 OSHA citation territory.

Walk the cell and compare every labeled container to the SDS index. New chemical introduced without HazCom training and an SDS update is a common gap — change-control workflow needs to feed back to the binder same-day.

Stand at the cell board with the shift lead and operator. Review hourly count vs. plan, top downtime cause, and any quality alerts. The walk surfaces issues before they show up in the end-of-shift report.

Distribute to ops leadership with availability × performance × quality broken out. If OEE dropped below the trigger threshold, attach a brief commentary explaining the driver — leadership reads the variance, not the absolute number.

Walk through every WO that's mid-setup, mid-run, or held for quality. Note exact piece count, last good measurement, and any tooling issues. A vague handover is how the next shift loses the first hour rediscovering state.

Enter actual setup time, run time, scrap, and rework against the standard. Variance review tomorrow morning depends on accurate close-out tonight — backfilled estimates blunt the cost system.