5_Essentials_Of_A_QC_Checklist

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction........................................................................................................................3
1.1 What is a QC checklist?.............................................................................................3
1.2 Why is a QC checklist so important?........................................................................4

2. Elements of an effective QC checklist .............................................................................6
2.1 Product requirements...............................................................................................7
2.2 Packaging requirements...........................................................................................9
2.3 On-site tests & checks ............................................................................................12
2.4 Defect classification................................................................................................15
2.5 Collaboration when creating a checklist ...............................................................17

3. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................20

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INTRODUCTION

What is a QC checklist?

Importers often want to know what is
the best way to clarify their product
requirements, both to their supplier
and any inspection staff that might
check an order before shipping. An
effective quality control (QC) checklist
most often serves this purpose.

A QC checklist is basically a
written guide for your products’
contents, packaging, color, barcodes,
appearance, possible defects,
functions and special requirements.
It’s also sometimes called an
“inspection criteria sheet”. Checklists
for similar products often share
common inspection criteria. But
typically, each checklist is unique to
each importer and their product.

For example, the standard battery
recharging test and charger output
voltage measurement are both
generally included in a checklist
for tablet PC inspection. But
both procedures are common for
inspection of most tablets, as well as
many other battery-powered mobile
devices—they’re not unique to a
particular model of tablet PC.

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In contrast, importers tend to be fairly particular about how each quality defect is
reported during inspection. One tablet PC importer may want a defect, such as “illegible
graphics” on product packaging, to be reported as a “minor” defect. But a similar
importer might have a lower tolerance for the same defect and want it reported as
“major”.

Why is an effective QC checklist
so important?

Experienced importers know that they need to provide clear product requirements
to their supplier, or else they risk receiving a shipment that doesn’t meet their
expectations or those of their customer. This is true whether they’re manufacturing in
North America, Southeast Asia or elsewhere.

They also realize the need to provide the same requirements along with clear
inspection criteria to any QC staff that will be checking the goods prior to shipping.

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An effective QC checklist addresses both product requirement and inspection criteria
concerns by:

(( Outlining quality standards and product requirements the supplier is expected to meet
and

(( Providing objective criteria for inspecting the product to ensure the goods meet the
customer’s expectations

Let’s say you’re importing garments
from a supplier in Indonesia. That
supplier can probably guess that
untrimmed threads left on a garment
are unsightly. But they may not realize
that you have a specific tolerance for
untrimmed threads.

The result is often that the
supplier ships the product with an
unacceptable number of untrimmed
threads. And in this case, you may
need to rework the goods after
receiving the shipment, which may be
costly and could delay distribution.

The same kind of problem can result when inspection staff don’t have clear criteria for
checking your product. They may report the number of untrimmed threads found in the
goods they inspect, but they won’t know how many should result in a failing inspection
result.

In both cases, you could’ve prevented these problems by providing your supplier and
inspection staff with a QC checklist clearly outlining your requirements.

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Chapter One

5 ELEMENTS OF
AN EFFECTIVE
QC CHECKLIST

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There are five elements of a QC checklist that are vital in making them effective. Some
are more obvious to importers, while others are often unknown or neglected. The five
elements include:

ww Product requirements
ww Packaging requirements
ww On-site tests and checks
ww Defect classification
ww Collaboration between the importer, supplier and QC staff

Let’s take a closer look at each element and discover what problems can be avoided by
including them in your checklist.

1. Product requirements

For most importers, product requirements are the most obvious point to include in their
QC checklist. And they typically spend more time specifying their requirements for
the product than any other aspect of working with their supplier. Yet a large portion of
inspections fail because the order doesn’t meet the importer’s product requirements.

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Why is that?

One of the most common reasons for suppliers not meeting requirements is that they
don’t fully understand them. An effective QC checklist helps clear up any confusion
surrounding product requirements by addressing the following:

ww Material & construction
ww Weight & dimensions
ww Color
ww Markings & labeling

If you’re importing stainless steel conduits, you might have a requirement for the
thickness of zinc coating used. If you’re manufacturing textiles, you may want a certain
ratio of cotton to polyester material. And if you import injection-molded spoons, you
probably want to ensure there are no sharp edges on the product. These are just a few
examples showing the need to clearly state material and construction requirements.

Importers often state requirements for the weight and dimensions of their product
in the checklist as well. Clearly defined dimensions are especially important for
manufacturers of garments, whose customers often have set fitting standards, and
manufacturers of machined components, often requiring precision down to the tenth of
a millimeter or smaller.

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Color requirements for a product are typically verified by comparing a sample from
mass production against an approved “golden” sample or Pantone color swatch.
And any markings and labeling on a product, such as hangtags or a CE mark, can be
checked against specifications.

Some product requirements may need to be confirmed by a certified lab, while
others can be checked on-site during inspection (related: Product Testing and Product
Inspection – What’s the Difference?). But in all cases, you’ll want to include these
and any others in your QC checklist. Otherwise, you run the risk of your supplier not
knowing your expectations.

2. Packaging requirements

Besides product requirements, experienced importers are often keenly aware of their
need to clarify how their products should be packaged. After all, packaging not only
protects your product during transit, but is also a part of product appearance and
influences consumer perception. So it makes sense that you’d want to take care in
specifying all areas of packaging, especially when manufacturing high-end or fragile
goods.

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A QC checklist that adequately addresses packaging requirements typically contains
all of the following:

(( Packaging weight & dimensions
(( Carton labeling requirements
(( Carton material
(( Packing & assortment method
(( Retail packaging graphics & labeling

Packaging weight and dimensions can greatly affect shipping costs. Let’s say you plan
to ship 1,800 cartons of cosmetics from South Korea in a 40-ft shipping container. If
the cartons are just one inch wider than your specification, you may need to rent space
in a second container. What may initially seem like a small discrepancy can have a
ripple effect across the entire length of your supply chain.

Some importers can be very particular about how their supplier labels their cartons.
And you may have distributors that impose certain labeling requirements. For example,
Walmart stores and Amazon fulfillment centers, both have their own standards they
expect their suppliers to meet. Requirements such as label size and contents are
typical. You may also want to specify if hand-written markings are acceptable on
cartons or if you require printed labels.

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Carton material and packing & assortment
method are important considerations
for most importers. The way a product
is packed in a carton and the materials
involved can greatly influence the
condition in which you receive it. Goods
produced in humid, tropical climates, like
Thailand, often require packaging that’s
resistant to mold and humidity. More
fragile or perishable items may need to
be packed with added cushioning for
protection or silica desiccant packs to
maintain freshness during shipping. And
heavier products often need to be packed
in a way that prevents the cartons from
being crushed when stacked.

Retail packaging specifications tend to be more important for product branding
and appearance than protection, as most goods remain packed in shipper cartons
during the bulk of distribution. You’ll want to make sure your supplier adheres to
your requirements for retail packaging color and labeling, especially any that relate
to regulations in your market of sale. For example, certain countries often require
polybags to have warning labels and small holes to prevent asphyxiation in children.

It’s essential that your QC checklist includes specifications for packaging. By setting
clear packaging requirements with your supplier ahead of production, you can prevent
undue damage to your product, while protecting your brand and consumers.

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3. On-site tests and checks

Importers often recognize the need to explicitly state requirements for their product
and how they’d like it packaged. But far more importers neglect on-site tests and
checks in their QC checklist. This is especially true of smaller companies without a
dedicated quality assurance manager or someone with a similar background.

When it comes to on-site tests and checks, consider how to address the following
questions:

ww Which, if any, on-site tests should QC staff conduct?
ww What should be the procedure and tolerances for the tests?
ww What equipment is required for the tests?
ww Who will be responsible for providing the equipment?

Some importers are quite familiar with the types of tests common for their product or
industry, while others may not be. If you find yourself in the latter group, it pays to do
some research, either by consulting an expert or by searching online for information.
Either way, it’s important to know which tests you consider necessary and which can be
left out during inspection.

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For example, if you manufacture
wristwatches with leather wristbands,
you might include a crocking test in
your checklist to ensure there’s no
color transfer when the leather is wiped
with a wet or dry cloth. But if you’re
manufacturing pocket watches without
wristbands, you’d probably want to omit
this test because it would be irrelevant
(related: Top 5 On-Site Tests for Watches).

Besides ensuring that you’re conducting the right product tests, it’s also beneficial to
avoid any unnecessary tests. On-site testing requires extra time during inspection. And
if you’re paying a third-party to inspect on your behalf, this extra time can cut into time
that might otherwise be spent checking a larger sample size of an order. By extension,
you could also end up paying more for the service than needed.

If you have an idea of the testing needed for your product, it’s also important to outline
the procedure and your tolerances for the testing results because:

1. Your inspector or supplier may not be familiar with the test and
2. The procedure and result tolerances you desire for the test may not be consistent

with any standard commonly used by your inspector or supplier

Let’s return again to the example of
wristwatches. Watch manufacturers
often make claims that their product is
“water resistant” or “water proof” to a
certain depth. Such claims are generally
tested during inspection.

If you’re importing a watch that’s
meant to be worn by scuba divers,
your tolerance for water intrusion will
be relatively low. And this would be
reflected in the testing procedure you’d
use during inspection.

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Conversely, if your watches are meant to only resist water intrusions caused by
accidental splashes—if they’re not even meant to be fully immersed in water at any
depth during use—your tolerances for testing water resistance are likely to be much
higher. In fact, you might even choose to forego water resistance testing for your
product altogether.

Without clearly outlining the procedure for any on-site tests to be performed during
inspection and the related pass/fail criteria, you can’t be sure that QC staff will apply
the right standard for your product. The consequence is often inaccurate reporting and
the need to re-inspect the product using the correct criteria.

Neglecting to specify the equipment needed for any required on-site testing is a very
common mistake importers make with checklists. For example, if you import a fitness
product that sends and stores data through an iPhone app, you’ll likely want to test this
function during inspection. But if you don’t specify that an iPhone is needed for this
test, there may not be one available during inspection, and QC staff won’t be able to
perform the test.

Similarly, it’s also important to clearly state which party will be responsible for
providing the necessary equipment for on-site tests. Third-party QC staff often bring a
basic set of inspection tools with them to every factory visit, such as measuring tape,
defect stickers and a camera. But they typically don’t bring their own hi-pot tester,
environmental chamber or other equipment that’s cumbersome or expensive.

Importers largely expect the factory that’s hosting inspection to provide these types of
equipment. But any assumptions you make about who will provide a moisture meter,
hot plate or any other equipment could lead to a situation in which inspectors don’t
have what they need to carry out your desired product testing. That’s why it’s important
that you not only address what equipment you require for testing, but also who’s
expected to make that equipment available on-site.

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4. Defect classification

When a QC professional conducts product inspection, one of the major aspects
generally included in their report is any quality defects or other issues found and in
what quantity. A combination of the frequency of such issues found, their severity and
the manufacturer’s tolerance of said issues are part of what determines if a product
passes or fails inspection. The industry standard AQL (acceptable quality limits) uses
all of these factors to deliver a clear, overall inspection result.

Just as it helps to clarify on-site testing, it’s also important to list any known quality
issues in the QC checklist and how they should be classified in the inspection
report. Experienced inspection staff are typically aware of common quality defects
for particular products. But there may be other issues you’ve experienced with the
product that they haven’t seen before. And only by explicitly noting the issues you want
reported can you ensure the person checking your product will look for and document
them.

Imagine that you manufacture enamel-
coated, steel cookware in China. You’ve
received multiple complaints from
customers about dents and pinholes
in the enamel coating of a popular
skillet item. What’s the best way to
address the issue? Look for it during
pre-shipment inspection. And this is a
good example of an issue you’d want
to clearly show in your checklist so
you can be confident that QC staff are
vigilant about it.

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Aside from specifying which problems to report, clarifying how inspectors should
classify and report defects almost always helps you get more reliable results. Quality
defects are generally classified into one of three types, depending on severity:

1. Minor – defects found in relatively small quantities which typically don’t
affect the salability of a product and aren’t normally identified by your
customer.

2. Major – defects which don’t pose a threat to the safety of the user, but don’t
match your specifications or golden sample.

3. Critical – defects that present a safety hazard to the user, might cause
property damage or otherwise harm the end user of your product.

Let’s return to the example of inspecting skillets. If you’re relying on the AQL standard,
your product might fail inspection if there are either 15 minor defects, 11 major
defects or one critical defect. Let’s say your inspector finds 12 instances of pinholes
on different skillets he’s checked. If you haven’t specified in your checklist that these
should be reported as major defects, he might report them as minor. The result could
be that the overall inspection result is “pass” when it actually should be “fail”.

Sure, by carefully looking over the report and counting the instances of pinholes
reported, you might independently decide that your product has failed inspection. But
inspection reports can often be quite long—sometimes dozens of pages or more for
inspections covering multiple items.

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Wouldn’t you prefer to be able to look quickly at the overall result near the top of the
report to determine whether your supplier should ship that order? And wouldn’t the
overall result be more reliable if QC staff were applying the same standard you would
had you been at the factory checking the product yourself?

Including any known defects and how to classify them makes for a more effective QC
checklist and leads to more transparent and informative reporting.

5. Collaboration between the importer,
supplier and QC staff

When importers prepare their QC checklist, collaboration between all relevant parties
is the most common element importers mistakenly leave out. And that’s unfortunate
because this point is probably more important than the other four. Collaboration
between you, your supplier and QC staff often leads to a clearer mutual understanding
of product requirements, packaging requirements, on-site testing and defects.

So why is collaboration key? And how does it tend to result in QC checklists that better
prevent problems?

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The process of developing a QC checklist for your product should really begin as early
as possible. If not during the product design phase, you should start working out
inspection criteria and requirements with your supplier well before mass production
begins. The reason is simple—quality is built into a product.

If you’re manufacturing leather bags and the quality of the material in the finished
goods ends up being substandard, that’s not something that you or the factory can
easily remedy. The product was manufactured with poor quality material. In this way,
poor quality was built into the product.

But you might prevent this by clarifying the quality level of material you require for the
bags before the factory begins mass production. And collaborating with your supplier
when creating the QC checklist is one of the best ways to do so. Working with your
supplier to develop inspection standards and product requirements helps you clarify
expectations. In doing so, you limit the risk that your supplier will later manufacture a
product that doesn’t meet your requirements.

A problem that many importers face is that their product fails inspection because they
didn’t clearly communicate what they wanted to their supplier. Perhaps your shoe
supplier is producing shoes that are the wrong size because you haven’t specified the
proper measuring method. Or maybe they don’t have the necessary equipment for a
particular on-site test, and you don’t find out until inspection time because you haven’t
informed them that you plan to conduct that test. Worse still, you might mistakenly
expect a certain component in your product, but your supplier isn’t aware that you
require it.

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Consequences can range from incomplete inspection to shipping delays and unsellable
products. But by working with your supplier to develop your checklist, you give them
the opportunity to ask questions. And you can come to an agreement about how the
product will be evaluated.

In the same way that feedback from your supplier helps ensure the finished goods
meet expectations, feedback from QC staff helps ensure there’s a consensus on how
to inspect them. If you choose to rely on the factory’s own QC staff to inspect your
product, you’ll have less opportunity to collaborate on the proper inspection method
(related: Why Most Importers Don’t Rely on Factory QC Staff for Inspection). But if you’re
sending someone from outside to inspect, it almost always helps to work out the
procedure together with the inspector beforehand.

Professional QC inspectors often have the knowledge and experience to greatly
contribute to whatever criteria you have for checking your product. For example, you
may not know what kind of on-site tests should be performed and what equipment is
needed for a thorough inspection of the chairs you’re manufacturing in Vietnam. But
the person or company that’ll be inspecting the chairs can often advise these and other
important points to include in your checklist. Likewise, if your checklist includes a test
that may not be feasible or relevant to the product, the inspector can let you know.

Working with QC staff to develop
your checklist helps ensure there
are no surprises when inspection
occurs and that you get an
accurate report. It’s also one of the
easiest ways you can be confident
that the people inspecting your
product are basically looking at
it with the same pair of eyes you
would. Many third-party inspection
companies will even help you
develop a tailored checklist for
your product.

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Conclusion

What to include in your own
QC checklist?

Now that you’ve learned about the five essential elements to include in any effective QC
checklist, how can you begin to create your own?

Effective checklists should begin with collaboration. Talk with your supplier. Explain
your product expectations, your desire for a thorough inspection and what aspects of
the product should be checked. If possible, speak with a QC manager at the factory
that’s manufacturing your product to voice any issues or quality concerns you have.

Discuss the inspection procedure with any outside QC staff that will be checking
your product. Find out what industry-standard, on-site tests and checks, if any, they’d
recommend conducting and on what sample size of goods.

You likely have your own quality expectations based on your product type, budget and
target market. And your checklist should reflect that.

Perhaps above all else, this author hopes to stress the importance of having a thorough
QC checklist that addresses all aspects of your product covered here. Remember that if
you think something isn’t important enough to include in your checklist, it’s likely your
supplier and any QC staff will think it’s not important enough to verify.

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About InTouch

Founded in 2008, InTouch Manufacturing Services is an American-owned, third-
party inspection firm headquartered in Shenzhen, China. We specialize in QC product
inspections, factory audits, social compliance services and product sourcing.

With staff based in 15 countries throughout Asia, InTouch helps importers ensure
they’re working with the right suppliers and receiving goods on time which meet or
exceed expectations.

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