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Quality circle meeting record
A quality circle is a small, stable group of operators and their team leader from the same work area who meet regularly to find, analyze and solve problems in their own work, within their own authority. This template follows the structure in the quality circles guide on this site: four to eight members, a meeting every week or two with the same four-part agenda, problems chosen against three criteria, and one active problem at a time, taken from selection through root cause, countermeasure and implementation to a checked result, or escalated when it is beyond the circle. Page 1 is the meeting record: attendance, the agenda with example time boxes, last meeting's actions, the active problem with its data, causes and countermeasure, new problems checked against the criteria, the actions agreed and the next meeting. Page 2 has the circle charter, the problem register, the stages, the selection criteria and meeting rules, and a worked example. The Excel version keeps the charter and members with an attendance rate for each, a meetings log, the problem register with days open and checks (including more than one active problem), and an action log with overdue status, counts and charts.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
When to use it
When to use a quality circle meeting record
- When a team leader starts a quality circle in one area and wants the same structure from the first meeting.
- When an existing circle has turned into a talking shop, with actions left open and no problem closed for weeks.
- To keep a record of what each circle has worked on, for the plant's improvement review or for yokoten to other lines.
- When a problem raised at the daily huddle needs more than one shift to solve but less than a kaizen event.
How to fill it in
- 1
Write the charter
Four to eight members from the same area, the leader and facilitator, technical support from quality or maintenance, a fixed meeting time, the theme, what the circle can decide or spend and who it escalates to.
- 2
Choose one problem
It must be within the circle's authority, described with data, and big enough to need the group. Put it in the register with a baseline.
- 3
Run the same agenda every meeting
Last meeting's actions first, then new problems checked against the criteria, then work on the active problem, then the actions and the next meeting.
- 4
Work the problem through the stages
Find the root cause with data, the fishbone and the 5 Whys; agree a countermeasure within the circle's authority; put it in place; then check the result with the same measure as the baseline.
- 5
Give every action an owner and a date
One owner and a due date for each action, reviewed at the start of the next meeting. Do not close the meeting until every action has both.
- 6
Close or escalate, then pick the next
Close the problem when the result holds and show it on the team board. Escalate what is beyond the circle to a kaizen event or management. Then choose the next problem.
Stages of a problem
How a quality circle takes a problem from selected to closed
One active problem at a time. The stages follow the quality circles guide on this site; the right-hand column is the worked example.
| Stage | What the circle does | In the worked example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Selected | Checks the problem against the three criteria and records a baseline | Label defects, 42 a week, the top of the defect Pareto |
| 2 Root cause | Collects data and uses the fishbone and the 5 Whys until the cause is confirmed | A worn guide on the label applicator |
| 3 Countermeasure | Agrees a fix that removes the cause, within its own authority | A new guide and a guide check at start-up |
| 4 Implementing | Puts the fix in place and updates the standard or checklist | Start-up checklist updated; shift training under way |
| 5 Checking result | Measures the same way as the baseline, for long enough to trust it | 11 a week, then 9 a week on the check sheet |
| Closed | Shows the result on the team board and names where else it could apply | Closed on Sep 29 at 9 a week |
| Escalated | Passes a problem beyond its authority to a kaizen event or management | Merge jams needed a guide redesign: sent to an engineering kaizen event |
1 Selected
- What the circle does
- Checks the problem against the three criteria and records a baseline
- In the worked example
- Label defects, 42 a week, the top of the defect Pareto
2 Root cause
- What the circle does
- Collects data and uses the fishbone and the 5 Whys until the cause is confirmed
- In the worked example
- A worn guide on the label applicator
3 Countermeasure
- What the circle does
- Agrees a fix that removes the cause, within its own authority
- In the worked example
- A new guide and a guide check at start-up
4 Implementing
- What the circle does
- Puts the fix in place and updates the standard or checklist
- In the worked example
- Start-up checklist updated; shift training under way
5 Checking result
- What the circle does
- Measures the same way as the baseline, for long enough to trust it
- In the worked example
- 11 a week, then 9 a week on the check sheet
Closed
- What the circle does
- Shows the result on the team board and names where else it could apply
- In the worked example
- Closed on Sep 29 at 9 a week
Escalated
- What the circle does
- Passes a problem beyond its authority to a kaizen event or management
- In the worked example
- Merge jams needed a guide redesign: sent to an engineering kaizen event
How the circle runs
The agenda, the three criteria for choosing a problem and the meeting rules
From the quality circles guide on this site. The agenda is printed on every meeting record, the criteria sit next to the new problems raised, and the rules are on page 2 and in the Excel version.
Meeting agenda
The same four parts, in the same order, every meeting
- 1Review last meeting's actions: done, late or dropped, and why
- 2New problems from this period: note them and check them against the criteria
- 3Work on the one active problem: data, causes or countermeasure
- 4Agree the actions, each with one owner and a date, and the next meeting
Choosing a problem
Work on a problem only when all three are true
- 5The circle can fix it with its own authority and resources
- 6It can be described with data: a count, a rate or a time
- 7It is big enough to need the group, not a fix one person can make today
Meeting rules
How the facilitator keeps the circle on track
- 8Start with the open actions before anything new
- 9One active problem at a time, taken through to a checked result
- 10Ask questions and use the fishbone or the 5 Whys before agreeing a cause
- 11Close only when every action has one owner and a due date
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: the carton line 2 circle has six members (a team leader, four operators and a quality technician) and meets every Tuesday for 30 minutes. Status on September 30, after six meetings (illustrative numbers).
- P1, crooked or misprinted labels: 42 a week at the start, root cause a worn applicator guide, countermeasure a new guide and a start-up check, then 9 a week: (42 − 9) ÷ 42 = 79% fewer. Closed on Sep 29, 35 days after it was chosen.
- P2, merge conveyor jams: the fix needed a guide redesign, beyond the circle's authority, so it went to an engineering kaizen event a week after it was raised.
- Attendance: 30 of 36 places, 83%. Two members came to 4 of the 6 meetings, under the template's example flag of 75%.
- Actions: 7 agreed, 5 done (4 on time), 1 overdue (training the shifts on the start-up check) and 1 open.
The circle now has one active problem, P3, seal failures at the hot-melt station, and starts with a week of counts by shift. The overdue training is the first item at the next meeting.
Common mistakes
Working several problems at once
Partial analysis on three problems closes none of them. Keep one active problem and put the rest in the register.
Choosing problems the circle cannot fix
A problem that needs capital, an engineering redesign or a decision above the supervisor stalls the circle. Escalate it and pick one within the circle's authority.
Skipping the action review
Starting with new topics leaves last week's actions open. Review them first, every time.
Changing the members every meeting
A circle builds problem-solving skill through the same people working together. Keep the membership stable.
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, a defect, a top loss or an idea becomes a structured improvement project in one click, with sections such as 5 Whys or fishbone and an owner and due date on every action.
In the lean glossary
FAQ
Quality circle meeting record: common questions
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