Free template
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.
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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.
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.
In the lean glossary
Free tools
FAQ
Layered process audit (LPA) checklist: common questions
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