The checklist
Station / task: · Standard work or SOP version: · Person observed: · Observer: · Date and shift: · Reason: ☐ End of training ☐ Re-verification ☐ Standard changed ☐ After an incident or defect
Before starting at the station
| # | Check | Met | Coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Correct PPE for the station, worn properly | ☐ | ☐ | |
| 2 | Station set up to standard: tools, materials and parts in their marked places (5S) | ☐ | ☐ | |
| 3 | Pre-start checks done and recorded (guards, settings, gauges in calibration) | ☐ | ☐ | |
| 4 | Current standard work or work instruction is at the station and is the right version | ☐ | ☐ |
Doing the work
| # | Step from the standard | Key point (quality, safety, feel) | Critical? | Met | Coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Step 1 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| 6 | Step 2 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| 7 | Step 3 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| 8 | Step 4 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| 9 | Step 5 | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||
| 10 | Work done in the standard sequence and close to the standard cycle time | ☐ | ☐ | |||
| 11 | Quality checks done at the right points; a defect is stopped, not passed on | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Finishing and handing over
| # | Check | Met | Coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Station left clean and reset for the next cycle or shift | ☐ | ☐ | |
| 13 | Records, counts or labels completed correctly | ☐ | ☐ | |
| 14 | Can explain why the key points matter and what to do when something goes wrong | ☐ | ☐ | |
| 15 | Knows who to call and how to escalate (andon, team leader, tier board) | ☐ | ☐ |
Result: ☐ Signed off at this station ☐ Coach and observe again by: ____ · Gap in the standard itself: · Action / owner / due: Observer signature: · Person observed signature:
What is a station observation checklist used for?
It answers one question with evidence: can this person do the job at this station to the standard, without help? A completed SOC is the record behind a tick on the skills matrix. The same checklist used again months later shows whether the skill has held, and when several people miss the same step it shows the standard, not the people, needs fixing.
How do you run a station observation?
Tell the person what you are observing and why; it is a coaching tool, not a test set up to catch them out. Watch several full cycles before speaking, mark each step met or coach, and stop the work only for safety or a defect about to go downstream. Then talk through what you saw, starting with what was done well, coach the missed steps at the station, and either sign off or book the next observation.
What makes a good station observation checklist?
- Written from the standard. Every step and key point comes from the current standard work or SOP, and the checklist carries its version number.
- Short. One station, ten to twenty items. If it runs to three pages, the station has more than one job.
- Critical steps marked. Safety and quality-critical steps must be met every time for sign-off; others can be coached.
- Observable. Each item is something you can see or ask about, not "works safely".
- Linked to the skills matrix. A sign-off updates the person's skill level, and the re-verification date is set at the same time.
Station observation, gemba walk or layered process audit?
| Station observation checklist | Gemba walk | Layered process audit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Looks at | One person at one station | The process and flow in an area | Whether key process controls are in place |
| Question | Can this person do it to standard? | What is getting in the way of the work? | Is the standard being followed today? |
| Who | Trainer or team leader | Any leader | Leaders at every level, on a schedule |
| Result | Sign-off or coaching on the skills matrix | Observations and actions | Audit score and corrective actions |
Most sites need all three: the SOC builds and proves skill, the gemba walk finds problems, and the layered process audit checks that the standard holds every shift.
Step by step
- Prepare the checklist. Write the steps, key points and critical steps for one station from the current standard work, with its version number.
- Brief the person. Explain what is being observed and why, and that it is part of their training or re-verification.
- Observe several cycles. Watch the full task more than once and mark each step met or coach without interrupting, except for safety or a defect.
- Coach at the station. Start with what was done well, then show and practise each missed step until it is done to standard.
- Sign off or rebook. Sign off when every critical step is met, update the skills matrix and set the re-verification date; otherwise book the next observation.
- Fix the standard. If several people miss the same step, raise an action to change the standard work or the station, not just retrain.
A worked example
A food manufacturer in Victoria wrote a station observation checklist for each of the twelve stations on a ready-meal line. Team leaders observed every operator once a quarter. In the first round, seven of nine operators on the tray-sealing station were marked coach on the same step: checking the seal temperature after a film change. The step was in the SOP but not on the station's visual standard. The team added the check to the film-change card, the next round of observations showed all nine meeting it, and seal rejects on that line dropped noticeably over the following month.