Question 1

What does APQP stand for?

Accepted Answer

APQP stands for Advanced Product Quality Planning, a structured framework used mainly in the automotive industry to plan and mature a product and its manufacturing process before mass production, reducing the risk of quality problems reaching the customer.

Question 2

What are the 5 phases of APQP?

Accepted Answer

The 5 phases of APQP (per the AIAG APQP reference manual) are: 1) Plan and Define the Program, 2) Product Design and Development Verification, 3) Process Design and Development Verification, 4) Product and Process Validation, and 5) Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action.

Question 3

How does APQP relate to FMEA?

Accepted Answer

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is one of the core tools produced inside APQP. A Design FMEA (DFMEA) is developed during Phase 2, Product Design and Development, and a Process FMEA (PFMEA) is developed during Phase 3, Process Design and Development, to identify and mitigate failure risks before they reach production.

Question 4

What is the difference between APQP and PPAP?

Accepted Answer

APQP is the overall planning process used to develop a new product and its manufacturing process from concept to production. PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) is the final deliverable of that process: the formal package of evidence submitted to the customer to prove the part and process are ready for mass production.

Question 5

Is APQP required by IATF 16949?

Accepted Answer

IATF 16949, the automotive quality management system standard, references the AIAG/VDA core tools, including APQP, as the expected methodology for product and process quality planning. Most automotive OEMs contractually require their suppliers to follow APQP.

Question 6

Who uses APQP?

Accepted Answer

APQP is used by automotive OEMs and their Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, but the same phase-gated planning logic is also adopted in aerospace, medical device and other regulated manufacturing industries that need to prove a process is capable before shipping product.