Free template
Updated
Six big losses worksheet
The six big losses are the TPM way of sorting everything that keeps a machine from making good parts at full speed for all of its planned time. Breakdowns and setups and adjustments cut availability, small stops and reduced speed cut performance, and startup rejects and production rejects cut quality, so each loss lands in one of the three OEE factors. Turning every loss into minutes shows where the time goes: the six losses always add up to planned time minus fully productive time, the time spent making good parts at the ideal cycle time. Page 1 of this template is a week's record of planned time, the minutes lost to breakdowns, setups and small stops, the counts, and the reasons behind the biggest losses. Page 2 shows how each loss feeds availability, performance and quality, a loss tree from planned production time down to fully productive time and a worked example. The Excel version works out operating time, availability, performance, quality and OEE for each day and the week, the minutes lost to each of the six losses, ranks them in a Pareto chart and checks that they add up.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Fields for line, week, product, ideal cycle time and recorder, a key of the six losses, a table of seven days with planned time, availability, performance and quality losses, counts, operating time, fully productive time and OEE, and a table for the reasons behind the biggest losses.Planned time per dayBreakdowns and setupsSmall stops and reduced speedStartup and production rejectsMinutes per loss, rankedLoss treeWorked example
When to use it
When to use a six big losses worksheet
- When OEE is tracked but nobody can say which loss to work on first.
- To show a team that reduced speed and small stops can cost as much time as breakdowns, or more.
- Before a kaizen event or a TPM project on one machine, to pick the loss worth the effort.
- Next to an OEE tracking sheet: the tracking sheet gives the number, this worksheet shows where the time went.
How to fill it in
- 1
Agree planned time and the ideal cycle time
Planned time is the shift less the stops you plan, such as breaks. The ideal cycle time is the fastest proven time per part. Use the same rules as your OEE tracking.
- 2
Record the stops in minutes
Breakdowns and setups and adjustments in minutes, with the reason. Time small stops if you can; if you only count them, the Excel version can use an average number of minutes per stop.
- 3
Record the counts
Total count, good count, and the startup rejects made after a setup or restart. The rest of the rejects are production rejects.
- 4
Turn every loss into minutes
Reduced speed = operating time − small stop minutes − ideal cycle time × total count. Each reject costs one ideal cycle time.
- 5
Check the sum
The six losses add up to planned time − fully productive time (ideal cycle time × good count). If they do not, a number is wrong.
- 6
Rank them and act
Rank the losses, largest first, and work on the top one. Write the reasons behind it on page 1 and take the biggest to a 5 Whys or a kaizen.
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: one shift on a filling machine, the same shift as in the OEE tracking sheet example (illustrative numbers).
The example shift's 107 lost minutes, ranked
- Reduced speed (performance)33 min
- Setup and adjustment (availability)25 min
- Small stops (performance)22 min
- Breakdowns (availability)20 min
- Startup rejects (quality)4 min
- Production rejects (quality)3 min
Reduced speed 33 minutes, setup 25, small stops 22, breakdowns 20, startup rejects 4, production rejects 3. 107 minutes, equal to 450 planned minus 343 fully productive.
- Planned time 450 minutes. Breakdowns 20 and setup 25 minutes, so operating time is 405 minutes and availability 90.0%.
- Ideal cycle time 30 seconds and 700 parts: 350 minutes of ideal time. The 55 minutes lost to performance are 22 minutes of small stops (44 stops, timed) and 33 minutes of reduced speed.
- 14 rejects: 8 after the setup and 6 in steady running, 4 and 3 minutes at 30 seconds each. 686 good parts, so quality is 98.0%.
- Fully productive time is 686 × 0.5 = 343 minutes, so OEE is 343 ÷ 450 = 76.2%, and the losses check: 20 + 25 + 22 + 33 + 4 + 3 = 107 = 450 − 343.
Ranked, reduced speed is the biggest loss at 33 minutes, ahead of setup at 25 and small stops at 22. The first question is why the filler runs below its ideal rate, not how to cut breakdowns.
Common mistakes
Leaving reduced speed out
Reduced speed is never recorded, only worked out. Skip the sum and the biggest loss can stay hidden.
An ideal cycle time that is too slow
A slow ideal cycle hides the speed loss and can even make it negative. Use the fastest proven rate.
Mixing up small stops and breakdowns
Agree a rule, for example stops under five minutes cleared by the operator are small stops, and keep it every week.
Forgetting startup rejects
Rejects after a setup are part of what the setup costs. Count them apart from rejects in steady running.
Ranking by count instead of minutes
Ten one-minute small stops cost less than one 30-minute breakdown. Rank the minutes.
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 upload loss data from a spreadsheet, each record is sorted into a cost bucket and a causal or resultant loss, and a loss tree ranked by cost shows which losses to work on first, with a Kaizen started from any loss.
See it in a 45-minute demoIn the lean glossary
Guides
- The Six Big Losses in Lean Manufacturing
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE): What is it?
- Loss Prioritization Framework: Attack Highest-Impact Opportunities
- The 8 Pillars of TPM: A Manufacturing Guide
- How to Reduce Manufacturing Downtime
- Model area: a 90-day plan for each pillar, then expansion
- Downtime reason codes template
Train the team
Put it on the wall
FAQ
Six big losses worksheet: common questions
Breakdowns, setups and adjustments, small stops, reduced speed, startup rejects and production rejects. The first two reduce availability, the middle two performance and the last two quality, which is why they map onto OEE.
Operating time, minus the minutes of small stops, minus the ideal cycle time × the total count. It is what is left of the performance loss once small stops are taken out, so it is worked out rather than recorded.
Each rejected part used one ideal cycle time that made nothing good, so the reject loss is rejects × ideal cycle time. 14 rejects at 30 seconds are 7 minutes.
A small stop is a short interruption the operator clears, such as a jam or a misfeed, without a repair. A breakdown needs a repair. Many sites set a time limit between them, for example five minutes; agree one and keep it.
The OEE tracking sheet follows the number shift by shift against a target. This worksheet uses the same inputs and shows where the time went: minutes per loss, ranked, with a check that they add up to planned time minus fully productive time.
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- 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.
- X-bar and R control chart template25 subgroups with means and ranges, control limits from A2, D3 and D4, signal flags, both charts and a reaction log.
- Gage R&R study sheet10 parts, 2 or 3 appraisers, 2 or 3 trials: EV, AV, GRR, PV, %GRR and ndc by the average and range method.
- Root cause analysis templateOne report from problem statement to proof: containment, evidence, analysis, verified causes, actions and the effectiveness check.
- 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.
- Quality control pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the QA matrix to the QM matrix on one model area, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Error-proofing verification log (daily master-sample check)Each poka-yoke device proved every day or week with a known-bad sample, with missed checks counted and the hours and parts at risk worked out when one fails.
- 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.
- Defect catalogue template with boundary samplesEvery defect with a definition, a class and the reason for it, measured accept and reject limits by zone, boundary samples, a defect log with DPU and Pareto, and an inspector agreement check.
- I-MR chart template (individuals and moving range)Up to 100 single readings with moving ranges, limits from a baseline, five run-rule flags, both charts, a second phase and a reaction log.
- 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.
- Attribute control chart template (p, np, c and u charts)p, np, c and u charts in one workbook: a chart selector, a sample size check, limits for each subgroup, signal flags and four worked examples.
- HACCP plan template: hazard analysis and CCP worksheetThe Codex 12 steps in one workbook: team and product, process steps checked on site, hazard analysis with the CCP decision tree, the CCP table with completeness checks, an allergen matrix and a verification schedule.
- 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.
- Mock recall template: traceability exercise worksheetTrace a finished lot back to every input lot and forward to every first customer, reconcile the quantities against a tolerance and time it against your target.
- ISO 9001 internal audit checklist (production area)46 audit questions for the production floor in 11 processes, each with its ISO 9001:2015 clause, what evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus five defined grades, a findings log, a finding report and a summary by clause.
- ISO 45001 internal audit checklist44 audit questions for the plant floor in 16 safety topics, each with its ISO 45001:2018 clause, the evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus 12 worker interview prompts, a findings log and a summary by clause.
- Food plant GMP inspection checklist (21 CFR 117 subpart B)55 checks in the order of 21 CFR 117 subpart B, each citing its paragraph and saying what to look at, with a grade, finding, owner and due date; results by section and grade, a walk route and a bakery example.
- Master sanitation schedule with pre-op verificationA master list of cleaning tasks by area and equipment with frequency, chemical, lockout, who and next due date, a weekly on-time count, and the pre-operational verification log with a release step.
- Measurement uncertainty budget templateA GUM uncertainty budget: Type A and B rows, divisors by distribution, sensitivity coefficients, uc, νeff, k from the t-table, U, TUR and a guard band check.
- 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.
- OSHA compliance calendar (general industry)37 recurring federal OSHA duties with the paragraph, interval, owner, next due date and an overdue flag, plus a 12-month view and counts by owner.
- 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.
- 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.
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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.