Quality · 10 Sept 2026 · Sanjeewa Dehiwalage
An inline audit that actually changes behaviour
Most inline audits produce paperwork. This is the version that changes what an operator does within the hour.
An inline audit is only useful if the feedback loop is shorter than the production run. If the result reaches the supervisor at the end of the shift, the shift is already lost.
Keep the sample small and the frequency high. Seven pieces per operation, twice a shift, checked at the machine, beats fifty pieces once a day at a table. Show the operator the defect on their own piece, and record the cause rather than the symptom — needle, tension, folder, method, or fabric.
The measure of a good inline system is not the defect rate on the report. It is how quickly the same defect stops appearing in the next sample.