APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) is a structured planning process with five phases: plan and define the program, product design and development, process design and development, product and process validation, and production with feedback, assessment and corrective action. Each phase has defined deliverables, and the work of one phase feeds the next. This guide covers what happens in each phase, which outputs to expect, how the phases connect to gates, FAI and PPAP, and what to look for in software that tracks the work.
TL;DR
- APQP has five phases: Plan and Define, Product Design and Development, Process Design and Development, Product and Process Validation, and Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action.
- The phases overlap. Milestones and gate reviews, not calendar dates, mark the move from one phase to the next.
- The current guidance is the AIAG APQP Third Edition, effective March 1, 2024, with the Control Plan now published as a separate manual.
- Phase 4 is where first article inspection and PPAP evidence come together, so measurement data needs to be traceable from the start.
- Software helps most with deliverable tracking, drawing-to-result traceability and gate evidence, not with replacing engineering judgment.
Table of Contents
- What APQP is meant to do
- The five APQP phases at a glance
- Phase 1: Plan and Define the Program
- Phase 2: Product Design and Development
- Phase 3: Process Design and Development
- Phase 4: Product and Process Validation
- Phase 5: Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action
- APQP stages, phase gates and milestones
- What changed in the Third Edition
- How APQP relates to PPAP, FAI and your quality system
- Choosing APQP project management software
- Our perspective: evidence beats paperwork
- Where QA-Report fits
- FAQ
- Sources
What APQP is meant to do
The AIAG manual describes APQP as a set of common guidelines that help organizations and suppliers develop a product that meets customer requirements, needs and expectations (AIAG APQP manual preview). The emphasis is on up-front planning. The manual's planning cycle spends its first three quarters on planning through product and process validation, and only then moves to implementation, customer satisfaction evaluation and continual improvement.
The practical point is simple: a defect that is designed out on paper costs far less than one found on the shop floor or at the customer. The International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) describes APQP as a phased process that identifies risks and tracks defined deliverables to closure during development, so that quality and engineering problems are not passed to suppliers or customers (IAQG).
APQP began in automotive, but it is not limited to it. ASQ notes that it applies to any organization, even though it historically supported automotive QS-9000 activities (ASQ). In aerospace the same logic appears in AS9145, which we cover in our AS9145 requirements guide.
The five APQP phases at a glance
| Phase | Name | Core question | Typical outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plan and Define Program | What does the customer need, and can we deliver it? | Design goals, reliability and quality goals, preliminary bill of materials, preliminary process flow, preliminary special characteristics list |
| 2 | Product Design and Development | Does the design meet requirements and can it be built? | Design FMEA, design verification, prototype control plan, engineering drawings and specifications |
| 3 | Process Design and Development | Can the process make the design consistently? | Process flow diagram, PFMEA, pre-launch control plan, measurement system analysis plan |
| 4 | Product and Process Validation | Does a production-rate run prove it? | Production trial run, measurement system evaluation, capability studies, PPAP submission, production control plan |
| 5 | Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action | Is it performing, and what do we learn? | Reduced variation, customer satisfaction data, corrective actions, lessons learned |
Treat the outputs column as the typical set. Your customer's requirements decide the exact list, and the standard itself says the Third Edition applies unless the customer specifies otherwise.
Phase 1: Plan and Define the Program
This phase turns the voice of the customer into measurable goals. Market research, warranty history, customer requirements and benchmarking feed a first set of targets for design, reliability and quality.
What the team produces:
- Design goals and reliability and quality goals
- A preliminary bill of materials
- A preliminary process flow
- A preliminary list of special characteristics
- A product and process assurance plan, with management support documented
A common mistake here is treating special characteristics as a later problem. If the critical-to-quality features are not named early, they will not be ballooned, measured or controlled consistently later. This is where the habit of numbering the answers before the questions begins: a team that builds the inspection plan before it has defined what matters will rework it twice.
Phase 2: Product Design and Development
Phase 2 takes the concept to a verified design. The team builds the design FMEA, runs design reviews, builds prototypes, and issues engineering drawings and specifications.
Key outputs:
- Design FMEA
- Design for manufacturability and assembly review
- Design verification results
- Prototype build and prototype control plan
- Engineering drawings, specifications and material specifications
- New equipment, tooling and facilities requirements
- Gauge and testing equipment requirements
For machine shops and suppliers, the drawing is the contract. This is the stage to confirm that every dimension and GD&T callout is measurable with the equipment you have or plan to buy. A tolerance that cannot be verified is a risk to record now, not a surprise at first article.
Phase 3: Process Design and Development
Here the focus shifts from the product to the process that makes it. The team defines the manufacturing flow, the floor plan, the failure modes of each step and how each will be controlled.
Key outputs:
- Packaging standards and a product and process quality system review
- Process flow diagram and floor plan layout
- Characteristics matrix
- Process FMEA
- Pre-launch control plan
- Process instructions
- Measurement systems analysis plan and preliminary process capability study plan
The process flow diagram, PFMEA and control plan should read as one chain. Each step on the flow has failure modes, and each failure mode that matters has a control. When one link is missing, you have a broken chain. Our PPAP flow diagram checklist shows how to catch missing steps before a submission goes out.
Phase 4: Product and Process Validation
Phase 4 proves that the process, running at production rate with production tooling and people, makes conforming product. It is the phase where most supplier paperwork becomes visible to the customer.
Key outputs:
- Significant production run
- Measurement system evaluation
- Preliminary process capability study
- Production part approval (PPAP)
- Production validation testing
- Packaging evaluation
- Production control plan
- Quality planning sign-off and management support
The IAQG lists first article inspection and PPAP among the milestones that mark transitions between phases (IAQG). That is why measurement data matters so much here. Each ballooned drawing dimension should link to a measured result, out-of-tolerance values should be flagged immediately, and capability statistics should come from the same dataset the report cites.
If you are deciding what to submit, our guides on PPAP levels, the PSW check and FAI versus PPAP cover the details.
Phase 5: Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action
Launch is not the end. Phase 5 uses production data to reduce variation, assess customer satisfaction and drive corrective actions. Lessons learned go back into the next program, which is how APQP becomes a loop rather than a line.
Key outputs:
- Reduced variation, shown through control charts and capability trends
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Improved delivery and service
- Effective use of lessons learned and best practices
Smithers describes APQP as supporting the whole product life cycle, with cross-functional involvement and continual improvement after launch (Smithers). In practice this means rejection and recovery records, batch and serial traceability and customer feedback are phase 5 inputs, not optional extras.
APQP stages, phase gates and milestones
Many sources speak of stages, phases and gates as if they were the same thing. They are related but different.
- Phases are the five blocks of work above.
- Milestones are the events that mark a transition, such as design validation, production readiness, first article inspection or PPAP.
- Gates are review points where management decides whether the program may proceed.
The IAQG stresses that APQP phases overlap and are transitional, with milestones marking the shifts between them (IAQG). Process design can start before the design is frozen, as long as the risk is recorded and owned.
Gate reviews work best when the evidence is concrete. A review that asks whether the control plan exists is weak. A review that asks whether every special characteristic on the drawing has a control, a gauge and a capability result is strong. Phase-specific deliverables and documented checklists for quality gate reviews apply in any industry that works in phases, and the same principle holds for APQP.
What changed in the Third Edition
AIAG published the APQP Third Edition together with a separate Control Plan manual. The Third Edition took effect on March 1, 2024, replacing the Second Edition unless the customer specifies otherwise (AIAG APQP Third Edition).
According to AIAG, the new edition focuses on the reasoning behind what to do and when. It adds updates reflecting agile product management and new sections on sourcing, change management, program metrics, risk assessment and mitigation plans, and gated management. It also adds content on part traceability, checklists and common analytical techniques (AIAG).
What this means for your team:
- Check which edition your customer's requirements reference.
- Update procedures to treat the Control Plan as its own document with its own reference.
- Add gate checklists and make sure leadership attends the reviews.
- Record change management and sourcing decisions in the APQP file.
How APQP relates to PPAP, FAI and your quality system
APQP is the planning framework. PPAP is the evidence package that proves the plan worked, and it is a phase 4 output. First article inspection, whether under AS9102 in aerospace or as part of PPAP in automotive, confirms that the first production parts match the design record.
AIAG's own training description presents APQP as both a technical and a managerial framework, taking a project from concept to launch while minimizing lead times and start-up problems (AIAG training). APQP is not the same as Six Sigma. It is a planning discipline for launches, while Six Sigma targets variation in existing processes, though the two share tools such as FMEA and capability analysis.
For the bigger picture of how these tools fit into inspection and assurance, see our manufacturing QA guide and our primer on PPAP in manufacturing.
Choosing APQP project management software
Spreadsheets can carry a single program. They struggle with five programs, three customers and two plants. When teams search for APQP software, these are the capabilities worth testing:
- Deliverable tracking by phase, with owners, due dates and status
- Linked documents, so the PFMEA, control plan and drawings stay in step
- Drawing ballooning that connects each characteristic to a measurement result
- Import of CMM data without retyping
- Automatic out-of-tolerance flagging and statistical summaries
- Batch and serial traceability through production
- Role-based access, so inspectors, engineers and customers see what they should
- Report formats that suit AS9102, PPAP and ISO 9001 or AS9100 audits
- Deployment options, including on-premise for confidential programs
The software does not replace the cross-functional team. It gives that team one place to see where each deliverable stands and what evidence supports it. For a broader look at category options, our APQP and PPAP software guide lists what to compare.
Our perspective: evidence beats paperwork
We see the same pattern in quality teams that struggle with APQP. The phases are understood, but the evidence lives in too many places. A drawing is ballooned in one tool, measured in another, summarized in a spreadsheet and reported in a document that nobody can trace back. When the customer asks which gauge measured balloon 47, the answer takes a day.
That is why we built QA-Report around the link between the ballooned drawing and the measured result. Automatic ballooning, CMM import with configurable mapping, tolerance validation and PDF reports come from one dataset. The MES layer then carries the same traceability through route cards, batches and rejection tracking, which is what phase 5 needs.
Our advice for any team starting an APQP program: decide in phase 1 how you will prove each special characteristic, and set up that data path before the first prototype is measured. It is far easier than reconstructing it at PPAP.
— Michael Chen
Where QA-Report fits
If your team is working through phase 3 and phase 4, QA-Report can handle the inspection side of the file: ballooned drawings, measurement results, out-of-tolerance flags, FAI and PPAP-ready PDF reports, and production tracking. You can start on the Free plan at $0 per month, move to Basic at $49.99 per month or PRO at $149.99 per month, and talk to us about On-Premise or Enterprise options. See the plans and pricing, or try the free drawing ballooning tool on one of your own drawings.
FAQ
What are the five phases of APQP?
They are Plan and Define the Program, Product Design and Development, Process Design and Development, Product and Process Validation, and Feedback, Assessment and Corrective Action. The first three plan and build the product and process, the fourth proves them at production rate, and the fifth uses production data to improve.
What is the latest version of APQP?
The APQP Third Edition, effective March 1, 2024, is the current AIAG guidance. It replaces the Second Edition unless your customer specifies otherwise, and the Control Plan now has its own standalone manual.
Are APQP phases the same as stages or steps?
In most usage, yes. Stage, phase and step all refer to the five blocks of work. Gates and milestones are different: they are the review points and events that mark transitions between phases.
Do the phases happen one after another?
Not strictly. The phases overlap, and teams often start process design while product design is being finalized. What matters is that risks are recorded and the gate review confirms the evidence before the program moves on.
Is APQP only for automotive?
No. It began in automotive, but it is used in aerospace and other regulated industries, and aerospace has its own related requirement in AS9145. Check which standard your customer references.
Sources
- AIAG APQP manual preview (ANSI webstore)
- IAQG: From Reactive to Proactive
- ASQ: Advanced Quality Planning, a guide for any organization
- Smithers: Understanding APQP
- IAQG: Planning for Quality
- AIAG APQP Third Edition (2024)
- AIAG APQP-3 manual page
- AIAG APQP training overview