A customer complaint runs through eight steps: log it, contain it, find the cause, update the PFMEA, update the Control Plan, change the work instruction, add an LPA question and prove the fix held. This free field book, The Complaint-to-Closure Trail, follows one made-up complaint, RMA-031, through all eight steps and 10 tools, one chapter per step, so you can trace a fix from the first email to proof it held.
Prefer to read offline? The whole book is one short PDF.
Short on time? The Monday Board is the whole book as eight actions on one printable page.
The eight steps
- 01The Complaint ArrivesThe complaint logHow to log a customer complaint so every later record has facts to start from: the six questions, the complaint number, and the mistake to avoid.
- 02Contain ItThe 8D report, steps D1 to D3Open the 8D the same morning and build the fence: team, problem statement and containment that covers the customer, transit, finished goods and work in process.
- 03Find the Cause5 Why and fishbone, step D4Use a fishbone to list every possible cause, then a three-legged 5 Why for occurrence, detection and system, so the 8D finds why it happened and why it escaped.
- 04Fix the RiskThe process FMEAA complaint tests your PFMEA. How to find where it went quiet, add the missing step, rate it honestly and use the AIAG-VDA Action Priority table.
- 05Lock It InThe control planIf the PFMEA changed, the control plan must change with it. Trace every row, write the reaction plan as steps and control the inputs that caused the escape.
- 06Change the WorkThe work instructionThe operator will never read the 8D. How to write a one-page work instruction, release it as a change with training sign-off and pull the old copy.
- 07Check the FloorThe layered process auditLayered process audits are short, frequent checks that new controls are still followed. How to add the complaint question and spread it across layers.
- 08Prove It WorkedThe effectiveness check, step D8Done means the actions happened; closed means they were proven. How to write the effectiveness check up front and close the whole trail under one complaint number.
Questions people ask
What is this field book?
It is a free book by Chris Martin that follows one made-up customer complaint, RMA-031, through the eight steps a real complaint goes through. Each chapter covers one step and ends with what to do on the floor Monday.
What are the eight steps of a customer complaint?
Log the complaint, contain it, find the cause with 5 Why and a fishbone, update the process FMEA, update the control plan, change the work instruction, add a question to the layered process audit, and run the effectiveness check.
Do I need ShopFloorOps tools to use it?
No. Every chapter teaches the step itself, so you can use your own forms. The tool sidebars show ShopFloorOps tools, which I make and sell.
Is the field book free?
Yes. Every chapter is free to read here with no signup, and the whole book is available as a free PDF.
Is RMA-031 a real complaint?
No. The plant, the part and the complaint are a made-up example used to show how the steps connect.
Start somewhere else
The plant, the part and the complaint in this book (RMA-031) are a made-up example. The tool sidebars show ShopFloorOps tools, which I make and sell. Every chapter teaches the step itself, so you can use your own forms.