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Standard work audit checklist
A standard work audit is a periodic check that the written standard for a job still matches what happens at the station, and that the standard is still the best known way to do it. It looks at more than whether the operator is doing it right: whether the posted document is current, whether the sequence and the key points are followed, whether cycle times still fit the standard and takt, whether the operator was trained on this revision, and whether the tools and material let the job be done as written. Each gap then needs a cause, because an operator who drifted from a good standard and a standard that no longer fits the job look the same on the floor and call for opposite fixes. Page 1 of the PDF has 24 checks in six groups, each answered Yes, No or N/A with what you saw. Page 2 has ten timed cycles against the standard and its agreed range, the score by group, the four causes of a gap and a table for each gap's cause and action. The Excel version scores each group and the audit as Yes ÷ (Yes + No), checks the cycles against the range, flags a No without a cause, and has an audit log with a trend chart.
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When to use it
When to use a standard work audit checklist
- On a schedule for every job with written standard work, more often for high-risk or high-variation jobs.
- After a change to the job, the product, the takt or the equipment, to check the standard was updated and the operators retrained.
- When quality or output on a job drifts and you want to know whether the standard is followed or out of date.
- As the periodic outside check that sits on top of the daily checks in leader standard work.
How to fill it in
- 1
Take the current controlled copy
Bring the standard as it should be, then compare the copy posted at the station with it. A different revision is the first finding.
- 2
Watch before you answer
Watch at least three full cycles before answering the sequence checks. Stand where you can see the hands and the path without getting in the way.
- 3
Time ten cycles
Time each cycle from the same start point and write it on page 2. Mark any cycle outside the agreed range of the standard and note why: waiting, searching, rework.
- 4
Ask, then check the records
Ask the operator to say each key point and why it matters, then check the skills matrix and the training record for this revision.
- 5
Give every No a cause
Not followed, standard out of date, cannot be followed, or not trained. The cause decides the action: coaching, an updated standard, a fixed condition or training.
- 6
Agree the actions and look at the trend
Give each action an owner and a date before you leave, and compare with the last few audits of the job. A No that keeps coming back points to the system.
What's on the checklist
The 24 checks on the standard work audit checklist
Six groups, from the document at the station to quality and safety. On the sheet each check is answered Yes, No or N/A with what you saw; every No gets one of four causes and an action on page 2.
Documentation
Is the posted standard the one in use?
- 1The standard for this job is posted at the station and can be read from where the work is done
- 2Its revision matches the current controlled copy
- 3It covers the part or model running now
- 4Takt time and the standard cycle time on it are current
- 5Key points and their reasons are marked for quality, safety and knack
Sequence
Watch at least three full cycles
- 6The operator does the work elements in the written order
- 7No element is skipped and none is added
- 8Each key point is done as written
- 9The operator walks the path drawn on the standard work chart
- 10Standard WIP is at the stated quantity and in its marked places
Time
From the cycles timed on page 2
- 11Observed cycle times fall within the agreed range of the standard
- 12No cycle includes waiting, searching or rework
- 13The standard cycle time is still at or below takt
Training
Check the records, then ask the operator
- 14The operator is shown as qualified for this job on the skills matrix
- 15Training on the current revision is recorded
- 16The operator can say each key point and why it matters
- 17The operator knows what to do when something goes wrong: stop, call, andon
Tools, equipment and material
What the standard names, where it says
- 18Tools, gauges and fixtures are the ones the standard names, in their places
- 19Gauges are inside their calibration date
- 20Material is presented where and how the standard shows
- 21Machine settings match the values on the standard
Quality and safety
As written on the standard
- 22In-process checks are done at the stated frequency and recorded
- 23The PPE the standard lists is worn
- 24Safety key points are followed: guards, lockout, lifting
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn audit of final assembly station 3 against standard SW-3, revision C (illustrative), the same as the Excel worked example.
- 18 Yes, 5 No and 1 N/A (no machine settings at a manual bench): 18 ÷ 23 = 78%.
- Ten cycles timed against a standard of 58 s with a ±10% range, 52.2 to 63.8 s. The average was 59.5 s, but cycle 5 took 66 s because the torque gauge had been borrowed by station 4. Checks 11 and 12 are No, cause C: fix the condition.
- The posted sheet still showed a takt of 62 s after the schedule change to 60 s. Check 4 is No, cause B: update the standard.
- The operator torqued the bolts 1-2-3-4 instead of the cross pattern added in revision C, and the training record shows revision B. Checks 8 and 15 are No, cause D: train on revision C with Job Instruction.
Five No answers come down to three gaps with three different fixes: update the sheet, give the gauge a place it returns to, and retrain on the current revision. Telling the operator to follow the standard would have fixed none of them.
Common mistakes
Auditing only the operator
Half of the gaps an audit finds are in the standard, the training or the conditions. Check the document, the records and the tools as well as the person.
Answering from one cycle
One cycle can look perfect or terrible by chance. Watch several and time ten before you answer the sequence and time checks.
Retraining someone into a worse method
When the operator's way is better, the finding is an out-of-date standard. Update it, then train everyone on the new version.
Always the same auditor on the same shift
Rotate auditors and shifts. Someone who walks the line every day stops seeing the shortcuts that have become normal.
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 standard work audit is a checklist built in Lean Creator or drafted by the AI, scheduled in Daily Standard Work to a person, a role or a machine with a repeat rule, and completed on a phone or tablet with photo evidence, and every finding becomes a tracked action.
In the lean glossary
FAQ
Standard work audit checklist: common questions
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