Digital 8D problem solving: How Oxford Instruments cut investigation closure time by 58.8

The company and its role in high-technology research and industry

Oxford Instruments is a global leader in high-technology tools and systems for research and industry. Founded in 1959, it operates across 23 countries with more than 2,200 employees, serving sectors from semiconductors and quantum technologies to life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

The project described here formed part of the Group’s wider Operational Excellence programme, and its results earned Oxford Instruments the KAIZEN™ Award UK & Ireland 2026 in the Digital & Smart Operations category.

The challenge: Problem solving trapped in documents

Before the project, Oxford Instruments managed its 8D investigations through Word documents stored across multiple network locations. The approach worked case by case, but it created three problems that held back quality across the Group.

No common standard

Every 8D investigation lived in a Word document, often saved in a different network location. Teams approached 8D in slightly different ways, formats varied, and version control was difficult.

No single view of investigations

Reporting was disjointed and spread across multiple platforms, which made communication hard and follow-up on actions frustrating. The Head of Quality had no single view of where each investigation stood, who owned the actions, whether they were on time or whether the corrective actions actually worked.

“The reporting was disjointed. It was inefficient. We have multiple platforms across the business, so the communication was hard.” – Ian Connellan, Customer Solution Manager

Lessons lost after each investigation

Information stayed locked inside individual documents. Teams could not easily search past investigations, compare root causes or spot recurring themes across products, suppliers or customers. Individual problems were being solved, but the organisation was not learning from them.

“Although we were solving individual problems, we weren’t necessarily turning those investigations into organisational learning.” – John Marshall, Head of Quality

The approach: redesigning problem solving, not just digitising it

Oxford Instruments did not want to just transfer its 8D Word documents to a digital system. The aim was a controlled, standard problem-solving process with clear ownership and a searchable body of knowledge. Softools was chosen as the platform because it can standardise workflows, enforce data quality, automate actions and give group-level visibility in real time. The new system combines the classic 8D methodology with KAIZEN™ principles: standard work, visual management and disciplined root-cause analysis.

“We didn’t simply replicate our old Word document electronically. We redesigned how we wanted problem-solving to work.” – John Marshall, Head of Quality

Standardise

A single 8D template in Softools captures the problem definition, containment, root causes, corrective actions and verification in the same way for every case. Built-in prompts and guidance support each stage, and every problem description follows the 5W2H method.

Control

Mandatory fields, dropdowns and consistent data capture remove ambiguity and improve reporting accuracy. User permissions are defined for engineers, managers and quality leaders.

Automate

A stage-gate workflow, aligned to the 8D methodology, only lets an investigation move forward once the required evidence and approvals are in place. Automated notifications and reminders follow up on overdue tasks, approvals and actions.

Visualise

Real-time dashboards show open cases, cycle times, repeat issues, top defect categories and performance trends. They replace spreadsheets and summaries that used to be compiled by hand, and closure reports now reach leadership automatically.

Sustain

Global engineering and quality teams were trained on the new system. The tool was built into daily tier meetings and wider continuous improvement routines so that using it became part of everyday work.

The Softools team worked closely with Oxford Instruments’ quality experts to fit the digital application to the company’s own 8D process.

“It allowed us to curate and digitise the 8D methodology but to Oxford Instruments’ exact own process.” – Kyle Theobald, Senior Customer Success Manager, Softools

Results achieved

Quantitative results

Speed:

• Average 8D investigation closure time fell from 131 days to 54 days, a 58.8% reduction.
• Efficiency increased by 142%.

Quality:

• The defect recurrence rate fell from 10% to 0%, verified through AI.

Adoption:

• 30 investigations have been managed through the new system since November 2025.
• The platform now has 18 users, up from 6, and a global rollout across the Oxford Instruments Group is underway.

Qualitative results

Each 8D now keeps its own complete audit trail, giving full traceability of actions, approvals and evidence and making audits easier. Past investigations are stored in one place, so teams can search them, analyse trends and prevent repeat issues. Automated workflows have replaced version-control problems, duplicated documents and long email chains.

“We’re closing down 8Ds a lot quicker, and the fault process is a lot smoother.” – Ian Connellan, Customer Solution Manager

Engineers feel the difference most in their daily work. Problem descriptions are more robust, every stage is clearer, and the tool is easier to use than the manual process it replaced. The system also gives Oxford Instruments a digital foundation for future analytics, lessons-learned libraries and cross-site benchmarking.

“The discipline now compared to where it used to be is night and day.” – Rob Lewis, Quality Improvement Engineer