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Advanced product quality planning (or APQP)

Advanced product quality planning (or APQP) is a framework of procedures
and techniques used to develop products in industry, particularly the automotive
industry. It is quite similar to the concept of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS).

Main content of APQP

APQP consists of five phases:
1. Plan and Define Program

2. Product Design and Development Verification

3. Process Design and Development Verification
4. Product and Process Validation and Production Feedback
5. Launch, Assessment & Corrective Action
There are five major activities:
1. Planning
2. Product Development
3. Process Development
4. Product and Process Validation
5. Production
The APQP process has seven major elements:
1. Understanding the needs of the customer
2. Proactive feedback and corrective action
3. Designing within the process capabilities
4. Analyzing and mitigating failure modes
5. Verification and validation
6. Design reviews
7. Control special/critical characteristics.
Benefits of APQP are as follows:
1. Lowest cost solutions can be found earlier in the process
2. Multiple options for mitigating a risk when it's found earlier in the design process
3. Improved collaboration between the design and process portions of product
creation
4. Improved Design for Manufacturing and Assembly