APQP – Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma Definitions

Abbreviation for Advanced Product Quality Planning. A set of procedures and techniques developed by the automotive industry to methodically ensure that a product satisfies the customer requirements.

The APQP elements consist of:

• Design FMEA

• Design Verification Plan & 

  Report

• Prototype Build Control Plan

• Manufacturing Process Flow 

  Chart

• Process FMEA
• Pre-Launch Control Plan

• Operation Process 

  Instructions

• Production Control Plan
• Design & Mfg. Review(s)
• Facilities / Tools / Gauges
• Prototype Builds
• Drawings and Specifications

• Team Feasibility 

  Commitment

• Measurement Systems 

  Evaluation

• Packaging Specifications
• Production Trial Run

• Preliminary Process 

  Capability Study

• Production Validation Testing

• Production Part Approval Process ( PPAP

  • Part Submission Warrant (PSW)

The goal of APQP is to facilitate communication between the design team and the rest of the organization. Designing is a company function, but often it is done in silos, only to discover during the transition that there are problems that are too late to address.

The APQP process is cross-functional, so teams can work together to design a product that meets the customer requirements and is manufacturable with minimal costs and labor. When there are problems, they are identified early in the process, while the cost to change or fix them is lowest. This will reduce the overall lifecycle costs of designing, manufacturing and supporting a product. Often the design costs are higher earlier on, but the manufacturing and support costs are much less, which is where the real money is saved. Most importantly, the customers are happier and they get their product on-time with higher quality.

There are 6 sections to APQP:

1. Section 0: Pre-Planning
   • Assumptions, concepts and past knowledge
2. Section 1: Plan and Define
   • Links customer expectations, wants, needs and desires to requirements.
3. Section 2: Product Design and Development
   • Design verification through prototypes and testing
4. Section 3: Process Design and Development
   • Evaluate manufacturing techniques and measurement methods that will be used to bring the design engineer’s vision into reality
5. Section 4: Product and Process Validation
   • Analytical validation of the process quality and expected demand capacity from the customer
6. Section 5: Feedback Assessment and Corrective Action
   • Review results from ongoing manufacturing process and improve the process, feedback loop back to design team

Download the APQP Manual from AIAG: http://www.aiag.org/store/publications/details?ProductCode=APQP

Learn more about APQP: https://quality-one.com/apqp/