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Turtle Diagram Generator: Process Turtle for ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 Audits

Fill in the six legs of the turtle around your process and download a designed, audit-ready turtle diagram as PDF, A4 or A3. The preview updates as you type.How to use ↓
  1. 1Enter your data
  2. 2Read the verdict
  3. 3Download the PDF report
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Process

Sheet settingslanguage of the headings, what to show, leg colours · colour and text size under “PDF design”Show

Show on the sheet

Leg colours

Own wording of the headings

Inputs
Material, information, requirements, one per line
Outputs
Products, records, data delivered to the next process
With what?
Equipment, materials, resources
With whom?
People, competence, training
How?
Methods, procedures, instructions
Results
One KPI per line: name | target | actual, e.g. OEE | ≥ 85 % | 81 %
Suppliers
Customers
Risks and opportunities

Live preview

exactly what the PDF contains, updated as you type

Where this tool fits

Turtle Diagram Generator
Next step
IATF 16949 Internal AuditAudit the process leg by legFMEA WorksheetAnalyse the risks of the process

How it works in 4 steps: Turtle Diagram Generator

  1. 1 · ProcessName + scopewhere it starts and ends, owner
  2. 2 · Head and tailInputs → outputswhat comes in, what is delivered
  3. 3 · Four legsWhat · whom · how · resultsresources, competence, methods, KPIs
  4. 4 · UseAudit-ready PDFA4 or A3, KPIs red when missed
Example: process "CNC machining of shafts" for an IATF 16949 process audit.

How to build a turtle diagram

  1. Name the process and define where it starts and ends. One turtle per process, for example machining, incoming inspection or complaint handling.
  2. Inputs and outputs: what the process receives and delivers, including information and records, not only material.
  3. With what: machines, tools, gauges, software, infrastructure.
  4. With whom: roles, required competence and training, not names of individuals.
  5. How: procedures, work instructions, control plan, reaction plans.
  6. Results: KPIs with target and actual value. Missed targets turn red in the PDF.
  7. Add the suppliers and customers of the process and the main risks and opportunities (for example from the FMEA).

Use the turtle to prepare a process-based internal audit or a VDA 6.3 process audit: each leg gives the auditor a set of questions and evidence to check. To scope an improvement project instead, use a SIPOC diagram.

Frequently asked questions

›What is a turtle diagram?

A one-page picture of a process that looks like a turtle: the process is the body, inputs and outputs are the head and tail, and the four legs answer with what (equipment and resources), with whom (people and competence), how (methods and procedures) and what results (KPIs). It is widely used in IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 process audits.

›Why do auditors use turtle diagrams?

The process approach of ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 asks for each process to be defined with its inputs, outputs, resources, responsibilities, methods and performance indicators. A turtle shows all of this on one page, so the auditor can plan questions for each leg and check the evidence on the shop floor.

›What KPIs belong in the results leg?

Two to five measurable indicators with a target, for example scrap rate, Cpk of a key characteristic, OEE, on-time delivery to the next process or customer complaints. Show the actual value next to the target so that the diagram also shows whether the process performs.

›What is the difference between a turtle diagram and a SIPOC?

A SIPOC maps suppliers, inputs, process steps, outputs and customers to scope an improvement project. A turtle describes one process for management and audits: it adds resources, people, methods and KPIs, but does not break the process into steps.

›Is the turtle diagram stored online?

No. Everything you type stays in your browser and the PDF is created on your device.