APQP in Automotive Industry

APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) structures product and process development along five phases and moves quality assurance into development, well before the start of production. Suppliers in German-speaking Europe typically apply the method as VDA maturity level assurance, while the AIAG model prevails internationally. Both require the same evidence: that requirements, risks, and approvals remain traceable across every phase.

JAWA implements APQP with the inforum management software, working with suppliers and manufacturers in automotive, machinery and plant engineering, and the wider manufacturing industry.

APQP for automotive, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing industry

In the automotive industry, APQP is mandatory: IATF 16949 requires structured quality planning, and OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers set maturity levels, evidence formats, and deadlines. Suppliers serving both German and international customers regularly work under VDA and AIAG in parallel, with different terminology and diverging sampling procedures.

In machinery and plant engineering, the starting point is different. Small batch sizes, high variant diversity, and customer-specific designs mean that series-oriented requirements only partially apply. The phase logic still holds; the depth of evidence is guided by customer requirements and risk.

For the manufacturing industry more broadly, APQP is rarely mandatory, but it is increasingly used as a structuring framework for development projects, particularly where regulated end markets such as medical technology or pharmaceuticals create downstream evidence obligations.

5 phases in the APQP process

The APQP process comprises five phases, beginning with planning and ending with continuous improvement in series production. Each phase concludes with an assessment that determines release of the next. Under VDA maturity level assurance, these transitions are tied to defined maturity levels that the customer requests and evaluates.

1. Planning
   Customer requirements, statutory provisions, and quality objectives are captured and translated into a customer specification document.
2. Product design and development
   Design FMEA, prototypes, and the initial control plan define which characteristics are critical.
3. Process design and development
   Process FMEA and process flow diagrams ensure that manufacturing consistently delivers the required quality.
4. Product and process validation
   Measurement system capability and initial sampling under VDA PPF or PPAP demonstrate readiness for series production.
5. Feedback and correction
   After start of production, control charts and SPC make deviations visible before they turn into defects.

Where these transitions break down in practice, and what that means for the control plan and initial sampling, is covered in this article:
APQP without system breaks

APQP with the inforum software solution

inforum implements APQP software as VDA maturity level assurance. Maturity levels are maintained continuously rather than reconstructed at each milestone, and phase transitions draw on the same data: critical characteristics from the FMEA carry over into the control plan, and initial sampling under VDA PPF or PPAP builds on the data that has accompanied the project from the start.

Suppliers work within the project structure itself, rather than alongside it via email attachments. Deadlines, actions, and approvals are visible to everyone involved in the same current state, which noticeably reduces coordination effort in projects with multiple suppliers and parallel maturity levels.

Frequently asked questions about APQP

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