{"id":8648,"date":"2019-04-01T09:06:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T16:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/?p=8648"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:15:01","slug":"the-5-phases-of-apqp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/the-5-phases-of-apqp","title":{"rendered":"Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”8771″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]Updated: February 19, 2026<\/span>
\n<\/span>Published: April 1, 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Achieving Customer Satisfaction and Competitive Advantage at Lower Costs<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Understanding and meeting customer expectations is at the heart of Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and are key requirements for any business to be successful. APQP\u2019s focus on customer needs ensures that products are developed and manufactured to fulfill those requirements, resulting in increasing customer satisfaction, improved customer loyalty and business competitiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Incorporating APQP is highly beneficial, particularly in industries under constant pressure to innovate and enhance products, even if you already have a robust <\/span>quality management system<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>quality program<\/span><\/a> in place. APQP enables more predictable business success by including quality in the design process and mitigating inherent risks in the production process before parts arrive on the line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is APQP?APQP <\/span><\/h2>\n

(Advanced Product Quality Planning) is a structured, preventive framework originating in automotive for designing quality into new products from concept through production. It uses cross\u2011functional teams to translate the Voice of the Customer (VOC) into technical requirements, establish capable production systems, and facilitate supplier\u2013customer communication. APQP is organized into five phases:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Plan and Define Program (customer needs, quality goals, scope)<\/li>\n
  2. Product Design and Development (DFMEA, design reviews, prototyping)<\/li>\n
  3. Process Design and Development (process flow, PFMEA, control plans, MSA planning)<\/li>\n
  4. Product and Process Validation (trial runs, process capability, MSA, PPAP)<\/li>\n
  5. Feedback, Assessment, and Corrective Action (launch, monitoring, continuous improvement). This proactive approach reduces delays and costs while improving reliability and customer satisfaction.
    \n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Core function and purpose:<\/strong><\/p>\n