Advanced Product Quality Planning (AIAG APQP, 3rd edition 2024, with the Control Plan now in its own AIAG CP manual) is the structured path from customer requirement to stable production. IATF 16949 8.1, 8.3 and 8.5.1.1 require it in substance; customers state the format (AIAG, VDA MLA, OEM-specific) in their CSRs.
| Phase | Purpose | Key deliverables | Gate (typical) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Plan and define | Understand the customer and set goals | Voice of customer, business plan, design / reliability / quality goals, preliminary BOM, process flow and special characteristics, product assurance plan | Program approval, team and resources committed |
| 2 Product design and development | Design a product that meets requirements | DFMEA, DFM/A, DVP&R, design reviews, prototype control plan, drawings and specifications, material specs, team feasibility commitment, equipment/tooling/gauge requirements | Design freeze |
| 3 Process design and development | Design a process that makes it consistently | Packaging standards, process flow chart, floor plan, characteristics matrix, PFMEA, pre-launch control plan, work instructions, MSA plan, capability study plan | Process sign-off (tooling and equipment ready) |
| 4 Product and process validation | Prove it with a production run | Significant production run (run at rate), MSA results, preliminary capability (Ppk >= 1.67), production validation testing, packaging evaluation, production control plan, PPAP, quality planning sign-off | PPAP approved |
| 5 Feedback, assessment, corrective action | Launch and stabilise | Safe-launch containment, reduced variation (Cpk >= 1.33), customer satisfaction, delivery, lessons learned | Safe-launch exit |
Phases overlap: process design starts once the design is stable enough; validation needs production tooling.
Build-to-print suppliers
Without design responsibility, phase 2 becomes: review customer drawings and specifications, feasibility commitment, special characteristics agreement, equipment and gauge requirements. Process design, validation and PPAP are unchanged.
Gate reviews
At each gate the cross-functional team and management review a status table: deliverable, owner, status (green / yellow / red), risk and recovery plan. Many customers want a red/yellow/green APQP status report monthly. Do not pass a gate with red items unless there is a dated recovery plan approved by management.
Typical lead times
| Complexity | Example | P1 | P2 | P3 | P4 | SOP lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Carry-over part with minor change | 4 wk | 8 | 8 | 6 | ~6 months |
| Medium | New part, known process | 6 | 16 | 14 | 10 | ~11 months |
| High | New technology, new line | 8 | 26 | 20 | 14 | ~1.5 years |
Tooling and equipment lead times (injection moulds 12-20 weeks, presses and special machines 20-40 weeks) often set the critical path in phase 3: order them at design freeze or earlier at risk.
8d-problem-solving-report-writer
Write and review 8D problem-solving reports for customer complaints and serious nonconformities (automotive and aerospace practice: Ford Global 8D, VDA, GM, Stellantis formats): D0 emergency response, D1 cross-functional team and champion, D2 problem description with 5W2H and is / is-not and no cause in the statement, D3 interim containment within 24 hours with verification and clean point, D4 verified occurrence and escape (non-detection) root causes plus systemic cause, D5 permanent corrective actions for each cause verified before implementation, D6 implementation, validation with production data and removal of containment, D7 PFMEA, control plan and read-across to similar products, D8 closure and recognition. Checks an 8D discipline by discipline for missing content, human-error root causes, missing escape cause or action, late containment and dates out of order.
acceptance-sampling-plan-selector
Select and evaluate acceptance sampling plans for incoming, in-process and final inspection: ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 / ISO 2859-1 single sampling under normal inspection (code letter from lot size and inspection level I, II, III, S-1 to S-4; sample size, Ac and Re from AQL, following the table's arrows to the correct plan; 100% when n reaches the lot size; AQLs above 10 per 100 units), operating characteristic curves (Pa at any quality, producer's quality level, indifference point, LTPD, AOQ and AOQL, binomial or hypergeometric), plans designed from producer and consumer risk, and c = 0 zero-acceptance plans. Covers AQL choice by defect class, switching rules between normal, tightened and reduced inspection, when sampling is not appropriate, and random sampling.
approved-supplier-list-manager
Manage and audit an approved supplier list (ASL) / external provider register for ISO 9001 8.4.1, IATF 16949 8.4 and AS9100 8.4.1: supplier status (approved, conditional, probation, pending, disqualified), scope of approval by commodity and process, risk class, certification and expiry, re-evaluation intervals by risk, conditions with end dates, single-source contingency, approver and customer-directed sources. Audits the list for expired or expiring certificates, overdue re-evaluations, conditional or probation status past its decision date, high-risk suppliers without the required certification, single-source suppliers without backup and missing approvers, and checks purchase orders for suppliers that are off-list, disqualified or pending, or buying outside the approved scope. Covers ERP blocks, PO requirements, off-list and emergency purchases.
as9100-gap-analyzer
Run an AS9100D / EN 9100:2018 gap analysis for aviation, space and defence suppliers on the requirements added to ISO 9001: on-time delivery and conformity focus, management representative, ethics and human-factors awareness, operational planning and operational risk management, configuration management, product safety, counterfeit-part prevention, special requirements, critical items and key characteristics, external provider register and flow-down, FOD prevention, tooling and NC program control, special process validation, first article inspection (AS9102), traceability, in-service data and nonconforming product control. Generates and scores a worksheet, grades missing core controls as major, and checks invalid n/a claims. Covers AS9101/AS9104, OASIS, AS9102 FAI forms, counterfeit standards (AS5553, AS6174, AS6081), NADCAP and the planned IA9100 transition.
audit-report-writer
Write internal, supplier and pre-certification audit reports with the content ISO 19011:2018 6.5 expects: audit objectives, scope, criteria with revisions, dates, team and auditees, method and sampling statement, specific strengths, findings table and three-part finding details (requirement, evidence, statement), conclusion on the degree of fulfilment of criteria, diverging opinions, follow-up deadlines and distribution. Builds a Markdown report from a JSON audit record, generates the conclusion from the findings (major / minor / none) and flags reports missing required content or findings without clause or evidence. Covers conclusion wording, closing meetings, response expectations and verifying corrective actions.
capa-effectiveness-checker
Verify whether a corrective action actually worked (ISO 9001 10.2.1 d, IATF 16949, 8D D6) with statistics instead of 'no complaints so far': before/after defect-rate comparison with an exact conditional binomial test for Poisson counts and a minimum practical reduction, zero-defect demonstration size (n = ln(1-C)/ln(1-p), rule of three) with progress so far, and exact Clopper-Pearson upper bounds on the post-action defect rate. Returns effective, not yet demonstrated (with the units still needed) or not effective. Covers setting effectiveness criteria when the CAPA is opened, choosing the window by problem frequency, leading indicators for rare failures (Cpk, SPC stability, error-proofing checks, LPA), and traps such as volume changes, detection changes and containment masking.