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Layered process audit (LPA) checklist
A layered process audit (LPA) is a short check at the station that the key steps and controls of a process are being followed, done by several layers of leadership, each on its own schedule. The team leader might audit every shift, the supervisor every week and the plant manager every month, all with the same short list. This checklist has 20 checks in four groups: work instructions and training, quality checks, process settings and material, and safety and workplace. Each is answered yes, no or N/A, with a box for a no that was fixed on the spot, a score by group, a table for the findings that need an owner and a note of who audits the area.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Header fields for area, station, date, shift, auditor and time, a layer to circle from team leader to plant leadership, and the first 15 checks with yes, no or N/A to circle and a fixed on the spot box.20 checks in 4 groupsYes / No / N/AFixed on the spot boxScore by groupFindings with owner and due dateWho audits, how oftenSign-off
When to use it
When to use a layered process audit checklist
- On high-risk steps where a skipped check or a wrong setting reaches the customer, such as crimping, welding, torque or final inspection.
- When a customer asks for layered process audits, which is common in automotive supply.
- After a corrective action, to check at every layer that the new method is still being followed weeks later.
- To get leaders onto the floor on a fixed routine, as part of their leader standard work.
- Not in place of a full process audit or a 5S audit: an LPA is short on purpose and looks at a few things often.
How to fill it in
- 1
Set the layers and the schedule
Decide who audits at each layer and how often, and write it on page 2. Spread the audits across shifts so night shift is audited too.
- 2
Make the checks fit the station
Start from the 20 checks. Replace the ones that do not apply with checks for the station's own risks, taken from the process FMEA, the control plan and recent defects.
- 3
Audit at the station
Fill in the header and circle your layer. Ask the operator to show you, look at the records, and answer each check yes, no or N/A from what you see.
- 4
Fix what you can on the spot
For every no, write what you saw. If it can be put right during the audit, such as a missing record or a gauge out of place, do it and tick fixed on the spot.
- 5
Log the rest with an owner
Anything not fixed goes in the findings table with an action, an owner and a due date. The Excel version counts them and marks overdue ones.
- 6
Work out the score and pass it on
Score is yes ÷ (yes + no) for each group and for the whole audit. Note anything the next layer should look at again.
How the layers work
The same short list, checked by every layer
Each layer of leadership audits the station on its own schedule. The team leader is there most often; the plant manager least often, but with the same checks, so problems that one layer misses the next one finds.
Who audits, and how often (a typical schedule)
- Plant managerEvery month
- SupervisorEvery week
- Team leaderEvery shift
Scoring the example audit
Example numbersScore = yes ÷ (yes + no)
20 checks: 16 yes, 3 no, 1 N/A
- 16 ÷ (16 + 3) = 16 ÷ 19= 84%
Audit score84%
What's on the checklist
The 20 checks on the layered process audit checklist
Five checks in each of four groups. On the sheet each one is answered yes, no or N/A at the station, with a box for a no that was fixed on the spot and space for what you saw; replace the checks that do not fit with the station's own risks.
Work instructions and training
The job is done the way the instruction says
- 1The current work instruction is at the station and matches the part being run
- 2The operator follows the steps in the order the instruction shows
- 3The operator can explain the key quality points of the job
- 4The operator is trained and signed off for this job
- 5Gauges and tools at the station are the right ones, labeled and in calibration
Quality checks
The checks that catch defects are done and recorded
- 6The first-piece or start-up check was done and recorded this shift
- 7In-process checks are done at the frequency the control plan sets, and recorded
- 8Recorded results are within limits, or the reaction plan was followed
- 9Nonconforming and suspect parts are tagged and held in the marked area
- 10Mistake-proofing devices work, and were checked at the start of the shift
Process settings and material
The process runs as approved
- 11Machine settings match the setup sheet or process parameter card
- 12The last changeover was signed off before production restarted
- 13The right material or component lot is loaded and can be traced
- 14Maintenance and CILR checks for the machine are up to date
- 15Fixes from earlier audits at this station are still in place
Safety and workplace
The area is safe and organized
- 16Required PPE is worn
- 17Guards, interlocks and emergency stops are in place and work
- 18The area meets its 5S standard, with nothing that does not belong
- 19Material is at its marked location, between the minimum and maximum
- 20Open findings from the last audit at this station are closed or have an owner and a date
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: a team leader's layer 1 audit at a hose crimping station on day shift.
- Work instructions and training: all five checks yes.
- Quality checks: check 7 no, the 10:00 crimp diameter check was not recorded. The operator had done it and wrote it in during the audit, so it was fixed on the spot.
- Process settings and material: check 13 no, the hose lot on the rack did not match the lot on the traveler. The rack was held and the finding went in the table with an owner.
- Safety and workplace: check 19 no, eight boxes of fittings stacked above the marked maximum.
- Check 9, suspect parts held in the marked area, was N/A: there were none that shift.
16 yes, 3 no and 1 N/A, a score of 84%. Two findings go in the table with owners and dates, and the supervisor's layer 2 audit that week starts with checks 13 and 19.
Common mistakes
Auditing from the office
An LPA done from the records alone misses what the operator is really doing. Go to the station every time.
Only the first layer shows up
If managers skip their audits, the team hears that the checks do not matter. Track audits done against planned for every layer.
Writing no and walking away
Every no needs what you saw and either a fix on the spot or an owner and a date. A score with no actions changes nothing.
Treating it as an audit of the operator
A no usually means the process makes the right way hard: no gauge at hand, an unclear instruction, a record nobody reads. Fix the process.
Never changing the checks
A check that has been yes at every layer for months tells you little. Swap it for a newer risk, but keep most of the list stable so the scores can be compared.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite you schedule the same LPA checklist for each layer, auditors complete their checks on a phone or tablet with photo evidence where required, and every finding becomes a tracked action.
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FAQ
Layered process audit (LPA) checklist: common questions
A short, frequent check at the station that key process steps and controls are being followed, done by several layers of the organization on their own schedules. For example, team leaders audit every shift, supervisors weekly and managers monthly, all with the same short checklist.
A regular audit is usually long, done by a quality auditor and months apart. An LPA takes a few minutes, is done by leaders from the team leader up, and happens often enough that a process that drifts is caught within days. Findings are fixed on the spot where possible.
Few enough to answer at the station in a few minutes. This template has 20 in four groups. Many plants keep a core set and add a few checks for the station's own high-risk steps, taken from the process FMEA and past defects.
The score is the number of yes answers divided by the number of yes and no answers, so N/A answers do not count against the area. The Excel version works it out for each group and for the whole audit.
Yes, slowly. When a check has been yes for months at every layer, replace it with one from a newer risk, such as a recent complaint. Keep enough of the list the same that scores can be compared from month to month.
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- EPEI and batch size calculatorHow often each part can come round on a shared machine (EPEI) and how big each batch must be, from demand, cycle times and changeovers, now and after SMED.
- People, process, technology (PPT) assessmentCheck one change before go-live: 18 people, process and technology statements scored 1 to 4 by the people who will use it, the lowest element and the actions.
- Process capacity sheet templateEach machine in a part's routing with manual, auto and tool change time, its capacity per shift, and the step that limits the cell against demand.
- Team charter templateA one-page charter for a standing team: purpose, scope, roles, the KPIs it owns, which decisions it makes itself, norms and cadence.
- Chaku-chaku line plannerPlan a load-load cell: time each machine, load and walk, check that every machine is ready when the operator comes back, compare the cell cycle with takt and size the crew.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP) templateA full SOP in the hierarchical step format, from purpose and scope to the steps, records, revision history and approvals, with review checks and an SOP register.
- Process improvement method selectorEight questions about one problem, an example rule that suggests a method and a matrix of nine methods: when each fits, the usual team and time, and the template to start with.
- Safety pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the incident pyramid to safety standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Autonomous maintenance 90-day model area planAM steps 0 to 3 on one model machine in 13 weeks, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves for months 4 to 12.
- Professional maintenance (PM) 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from breakdown analysis to a running PM calendar on one model machine, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Environment and energy pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from waste and energy maps to area standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Focused improvement 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss Pareto to standardized fixes on one model line, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Logistics and customer service pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the current-state map to pull on one model value stream, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- People development pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the skills matrix to trained cover on critical tasks in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Early equipment management 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from lessons on current machines to a tracked start-up on one model equipment project, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Cost deployment pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss map to costed, ranked projects in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Moving from Excel to one system checklistA 34-point checklist and a file inventory for moving trackers from spreadsheets to one system: keep, move, connect or retire, clean, pilot, run both, retire.
- Prioritization matrix templateScore up to 20 improvement ideas on weighted criteria, rank them, test the ranking with equal weights and place each one on an effort and benefit grid.
- Cost per unit worksheet (manufacturing cost per good unit)One product's cost per good unit by materials, labor, machine and overhead, the gap to target, and which cost lever is worth most a year.
- Digital manufacturing readiness assessmentScore 24 statements on process, technology and people from 0 to 4, check the balance between them and rank the gaps by what matters in your plant.
- Manufacturing KPI dashboard templateWeekly plant numbers in, 14 KPIs out: OEE and its parts, first pass yield, scrap, on-time delivery, recordable rate, cost and absence, each against a target.
- RCM worksheet (failure mode and task selection)Failure modes classed as hidden, safety, operational or non-operational, then a task chosen for each: condition-based, discard, failure-finding, redesign or run to failure.
- Training matrix template with expiry datesPeople by required trainings with expiry dates, OK, due, expired and missing flags, compliance by person and area, cover per training and a renewal list.
- Downtime reason codes template26 starter codes mapped to the six big losses, a log with drop-downs, a Pareto by code and by loss, and a code card for the line.
- Kaizen event preparation checklistEverything that has to be ready before a kaizen event and done after it: 44 items with owners and due dates from 6 weeks before day 1 to 30 days after, five go or no-go gates and a day-by-day agenda.
- Critical spare parts list and stocking levelsAssets ranked by consequence, each part classed and given a stocking policy, and min and max worked out from usage and lead time, with the downtime each stock-out would cost.
- Tier 2 meeting agenda and escalation sheetA 15-minute tier 2 agenda in ten timed blocks, fixed roles and rules, escalation triggers with time limits, and a log that ages every escalation and sends the answer back down.
- Forklift operator training and evaluation recordPer-operator training and evaluation record, a register with three-year due dates and refresher triggers, and a weighted practical evaluation scoresheet.
- REBA worksheet (Rapid Entire Body Assessment)Score up to six postures with REBA: body-part drop-downs, Tables A, B and C as lookups, final score and action level, and a before and after comparison.
- Plan for every part (PFEP) templateOne row per part: supplier, pack, container, usage, lead time and locations, with ABC classes, market and line kanban counts and a lineside space check.
- Changeover matrix templateA from-to matrix of changeover minutes with the clean each transition needs (allergen, colour, format), and a weekly planner that totals the order and suggests a shorter one.
- Overhead crane inspection checklist: frequent and periodic34 crane checks tied to OSHA 1910.179: an operator's pre-shift card, frequent and periodic inspections with signed records, a deficiency and tag-out log, and a register of next due dates.
- Maintenance job plan templateOne job planned on one sheet: steps and craft hours, parts checked against stock, tools, lockout and permits, documents, a ready check for the schedule, and technician feedback.
- Video time study filming checklistA pre-shoot checklist and shot log for filming a time study on video: camera, light, people, settings, power and review.
- Reorder point and safety stock sheet (many parts)Safety stock, reorder point, order quantity and an order list for up to 500 parts, worked out from each part's own demand and lead time history.
- TRIR and DART rate trackerMonthly hours, OSHA 300 case counts and near misses in; rolling 12-month TRIR and DART rate, a case budget against your target and a trend chart out.
- Energy use and EnPI trackerMonthly electricity, gas and fuel in one unit, a 12-month regression baseline, expected against actual energy for each month, an EnPI ratio, the running saving and the tests that say whether the model can be trusted.
- FIFO lane sizing sheetThe maximum for a FIFO lane from the stop it must cover, in whole containers, with length, refill and wait checks for up to eight lanes.
- Pugh matrix templateCompare up to 8 concepts with a datum as better, same or worse on up to 12 criteria, flag must-haves, and carry the strongest into a second round.
- Machine guarding inspection sheetA machine register with due dates and a status per machine, 21 checks tied to OSHA 1910.212, .219 and .147, a guard opening check against Table O-10, and an action log.
- Condition monitoring route sheetA route of measuring points with baselines, alert and alarm limits, a check interval from the P-F interval, readings with rising and overdue flags, and an exceptions list worst first.
- Fire extinguisher inspection logOne row for every portable extinguisher: hydro test interval from OSHA Table L-1, annual and 6-year due dates, a 12-month check grid and open issues.
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.