Two kinds of program, and how to say what good looks like.
Two kinds of program
Every program is either a Quick walk or a Formal audit. Both walk the same way and produce the same record. The difference is how much has to be written down before anyone walks it.
1Quick walk: everyday walks such as 6S, housekeeping and quick safety checks. Each check needs one plain line: what good looks like. A walk can start even if some checks aren't defined yet; Vector warns you.
2Formal audit: announced audits against a written standard, such as an OSHA rule, an ISO clause or a customer's spec. Each check also needs what it is based on, and a walk can't start until every check in play is complete.
New programs are Quick walks. Switch to Formal audit in Edit Program → Style. You can switch back.
Which to choose
Choose Quick walk when the point is to keep an area right week to week and anyone on the team may walk it. Choose Formal audit when the result may be shown to someone outside the company, such as a regulator, a customer or a certification auditor, and you need to prove what standard the team was held to and where that standard comes from.
Write what good looks like
A definition is good when two different people would reach the same result, and the area owner could check it the day before. Say what passing looks like, not what the auditor should do.
1Instead of: Is the area clean? Write: No oil, chips or debris on the walking surface; benches hold only today's job.
2Instead of: PPE is appropriate. Write: Everyone in the area wears the PPE posted at its entrance; glasses unscratched, gloves untorn.
3Instead of: Extinguishers OK. Write: Every extinguisher is mounted, unobstructed, gauge in the green, tag initialed for this month.
If a definition leans on words like clean, proper, adequate or as needed, Vector shows a hint. It never stops you saving.
More detail
Under More detail each check can also say how to check it (Open three drawers), what it's based on (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157(e), SOP-14, ISO 9001 7.1.5), and what evidence proves it (a photo of this month's tag). Based on is required on a Formal audit. Anything left empty never shows on the walk or in the pack.
Where the team sees it
The program's scope shows when a walk starts. The check's definition shows when someone flags a finding against it. The walk pack opens with What was audited: the program's scope and every check's definition, exactly as they were when the walk started. Editing the program later never changes an old walk or its pack.
Operations Pro