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[Free template included] What is a defect report? How to write one and examples of what to include
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In manufacturing, problems can occur for a variety of reasons, including human error, faulty equipment, and system bugs.
In such cases, a defect report is created.
This time, we will explain the meaning of a defect report, the purpose of creating one, and how to create one.
Free templates available We will also introduce IT systems that support the creation and management of reports, so manufacturing managers and on-site personnel should definitely take note.
\Explaining on-site measures based on actual cases/
What is a defect report?
First, we will explain the overview of defect reports and the purpose of creating them. In order to create a high-quality defect report, it is important to understand its purpose.
What does a defect report mean?
A defect report is a document that describes the cause of a defect that has occurred and the measures taken to address it.
These reports may be called different names depending on the industry or business, such as a problem report, a progress report, or a countermeasures document, but their basic role is the same.
The document will not only be shared with relevant parties within the company, but may also be submitted to business partners, so it must be written accurately and clearly.
The document created after a problem or issue has been resolved is called a report of the incident.
Main purpose of creating a defect report
Prompt notification of the problem to relevant parties
The main purpose of creating a defect report is to accurately and quickly communicate the fact that a defect has occurred and its details to relevant parties both inside and outside the company. By creating a defect report, relevant parties can work together to resolve the problem and it becomes easier to consider appropriate countermeasures. If the creation of a defect report is delayed, relevant parties will not be able to grasp accurate information, which could lead to unexpected trouble or complaints, so care must be taken.
Establishing measures to prevent recurrence
The defect report will include the cause of the defect and measures to prevent recurrence. This will allow us to consider and implement improvement measures to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future. Furthermore, even if the person in charge changes in the future, we can expect improvements in work quality as long as they continue to work based on the content formulated this time.
Restoring customer trust
When a company's product malfunctions, it temporarily loses customer trust.
By disclosing the information requested by customers in defect reports and responding sincerely, you can help restore lost trust.
Therefore, when writing a defect report, it is important to organize the situation, accurately describe the information the reader is looking for, and create a structure that is easy to read and understand.
Improving our internal quality control system
Another purpose of creating a defect report is to improve the quality of a company's products and services.
This is because creating a defect report provides an opportunity to review the company's internal quality control system.
In addition, when a problem occurs within the company, referring to past reports makes it easier to quickly find ways to address the problem and improve it.
How to write a defect report
Create using the 5W1H method
When writing a bug report, keep the following points in mind:
- What: The specific problem
- When: Date and time of occurrence and frequency
- Where: Where the problem occurred and the extent of its impact
- Who: Stakeholders and people in charge
- Why: Analysis of the cause of the incident
- How: Solutions and measures to prevent recurrence
By clearly stating these, you can create a report that is easier to understand.
Describe the cause of the defect in detail
It is important to identify the direct cause of the defect and analyze and describe the root cause. Also, describe in detail the environmental conditions under which the defect occurred (temperature, humidity, lot number of the materials used, etc.) and clearly indicate the steps to reproduce the defect. Finally, identify and describe whether the defect affects other work or products and the scope of the impact.
Write in a way that anyone can understand
Defect reports may be reviewed not only by internal staff but also by external parties, so be sure to use simple language, keep sentences short, and make sure to clearly state the main points.
It is also important to make efforts to help the reader follow the content naturally by adding concrete examples, rearranging the order of sentences, etc. It is also effective to use diagrams and illustrations to supplement difficult content.
Accurately state factual information
It is important to accurately portray the facts in a defect report. Avoid speculation and emotional expressions, and write based on concrete facts, using data and observations. Also, clearly state the source of the information so that a third party can verify it. Finally, organizing the facts in an orderly manner and making it easy for the reader to understand will make the review process more efficient.
Read it aloud to check if it is easy to understand
It is also important to read the text out loud to check for any parts that are difficult to understand or that are hard to understand.
If a sentence is too long, break it down into shorter sentences to make it more concise. If it contains technical terms or difficult expressions, replace them with easier-to-understand expressions. Finally, put yourself in the reader's shoes and make sure they can understand the content in one go.
Items to be included in the defect report
Writing a quality defect report requires more than just listing the facts.
It is advisable to create the report in accordance with a set format. Here we will introduce how to create a defect report and what items to include.
How to create a defect report
When you need to create a defect report, first decide on the format. If your company has its own template, use it.
However, if you are submitting to a business partner, you may be asked to use the format they prefer, so it is best to check in advance.
Once the format has been decided, write down the summary of the problem, the circumstances under which it occurred, the cause, and countermeasures in the 5W1H format.
5W1H refers to the six elements of "When," "Where," "Who," "What," "Why," and "How." By keeping 5W1H in mind, the content will be easier for the reader to understand, resulting in a high-quality report.
Also, when writing a defect report, list the events that occurred in chronological order.
This is because it makes it easier for internal stakeholders and business partners to smoothly follow the process from when a problem occurs to when it is resolved.
To create defect reports, we recommend the on-site report system "i-Reporter."
- Save reports electronically and manage them all at once
- Downloadable in Excel
- Alert notification notifies relevant parties of defects
- Reports can be shared in real time
Why not try i-Reporter?
→The download URL isHere
Items to be included in the defect report
title
The key to the title is to make it concise so that the contents of the defect report can be understood at a glance.
If you send a bug report by email, include the title of the report in the subject line. It is best to write it in a way that makes the contents of the report clear, without being too long or too short.
For example, a good title would be "Report on delivery delays due to a defect in Product A." Just by looking at the title, you can clearly see that "a defect has occurred in Product A, causing delivery delays." On the other hand, an example of an inappropriate title would be "Report on a defect in our company's product." This title is vague and makes it difficult to convey the specific impact of the defect.
Date and time of occurrence
In the date and time of occurrence section, record the date and time the problem occurred. If the problem occurred over a certain period of time, you may write it in a format such as "XX/XX/XX to XX/XX/XX." Also, if the problem has already been resolved, write the date of occurrence and the date of recovery separately.
address
It is standard to write the department name in the recipient's field. If the recipient is outside the company, write the name of the recipient's company or department, and be careful not to include the individual name of the person in charge.
Sender
In the sender's field, write the name of the reporter and the department to which they belong. If the recipient is an external party, write the name of the company in full.
Problem content and cause
The key to success is to provide a specific and easy-to-understand explanation of the problem. If it is difficult to explain in words, use diagrams and photos. Since the reader often does not have specialized knowledge, it is best to avoid using difficult terminology.
When describing the problem, be sure to also include the cause. Conduct a detailed investigation into the problem and clearly indicate the identified cause as much as possible.
By pursuing not only superficial causes such as "equipment operation errors" but also the underlying causes of "why the operation errors occurred," you can create a report that readers can trust.
countermeasure
The countermeasures section should describe the measures that have been implemented and specific measures to prevent recurrence. It is necessary to take feasible measures based on the knowledge of on-site personnel and experts.
Defect Report Examples and Templates
Since defect reports are often required to be submitted as soon as possible after a problem occurs, it is efficient to use a template. Therefore, we have prepared a simple defect report template below that can be used in a variety of situations. It is available to download for free, so please feel free to use it.
[For internal use] Examples and templates for defect reports
[Download the in-house defect report template here]
Download the template here: https://application.i-reporter.jp/download.excel_template07
How to create a defect report template
Creating defect reports using templates is an effective way to reduce the time required for creation and management. This time, we will introduce templates for Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and other formats.
When creating with Excel/Google Spreadsheet
First, organize the items to be recorded. Then, set the titles and items in Excel. For example, set "Report Number" in Column A and "Date of Defect Occurrence" in Column B. We recommend making the cells with item names bold or changing the background color to improve visibility.
After that, create a cell to the right of the item name where you will actually enter the data. It would be easier to use if you add a drop-down list or similar to this.
When creating in Word/Google Docs
When creating a template in Word, organize the items to be included in the same way as when creating one in Excel. Then, set the title and items to be included as headings. For example, "1. Date the defect occurred" and "2. Reporter's name."
Next, create input fields. Create input fields under each heading for entering information. Using "underlines" or "text boxes" here will help visually indicate the input area, increasing visibility and making it easier to use.
When creating with PowerPoint/Google Slides
First, let's organize the items to be included.
Next, open PowerPoint and set the slide master. Before working in PowerPoint, we recommend setting a common design and layout for all slides, as this will make your work more efficient.
Next, create a slide layout for entering the content. For example, create a dedicated slide for each item, such as "Summary of the defect," "Detailed explanation," and "Solution details." On each slide, place the necessary item name and corresponding text box so that users can enter the information concisely. If necessary, it is useful to insert tables or shapes to organize complex information such as reproduction steps and scope of impact.
Other cases
When using a dedicated defect reporting tool, it is important to create a template that is easy for on-site workers to report and easy for reviewers to manage. Work with your in-house development team to develop a tool that will streamline your work.
[For external use] Examples and templates for defect reports
[Download the external defect report template here]
Download the template here: https://application.i-reporter.jp/download.excel_template08
If you use templates, use "i-Reporter" to streamline your work!
If you find the creation and management of defect reports burdensome, we recommend introducing an IT system to improve efficiency. Here we introduce "i-Reporter," a solution that supports the creation and management of defect reports.
"i-Reporter" - an electronic system for on-site reports
"i-Reporter" is an on-site document digitization system that reduces the effort required to create and manage defect reports. Created reports can be managed paperlessly, which reduces storage space and printing costs. There are many cases where it is introduced as a foundational system when promoting DX.
In addition, reports registered on the system are stored in a database, so you can search by status, name, etc., making it easy to quickly access the documents you need. A free trial is also available, so if you are interested, please contact us via the page below.
"i-Reporter" - an electronic system for on-site reports
"It usually took 45 minutes to prepare the daily casting report every morning, but now we can reduce that to just 5 minutes."
Click here for examples of digitization of daily reports
Create high-quality defect reports and communicate information quickly
This time, we introduced the overview and writing method of defect reports, as well as a system that is useful for streamlining their creation and management. Defect reports are important documents that communicate the details and causes of problems that have occurred within the company and to business partners. Various problems, both large and small, occur on manufacturing sites, and the impression of the problem can change significantly depending on the completeness of the defect report. Create a high-quality report to reassure the reader.
Digitizing on-site documents can reduce the effort required to manage and create defect reports.
In particular, the on-site report system "i-Reporter" makes the following possible:
- Save reports electronically and manage them all at once
- Downloadable in Excel
- Alert notification notifies relevant parties of defects
- Reports can be shared in real time
Why not try i-Reporter?
→ Click here for the download URL
This is the editorial department of the Field Document Research Institute!
This blog is operated by CIMTOPS Corporation., which develops and sells the field document electronic solution "i-Reporter."
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