APQP / PPAP

Advanced Product Quality Planning (from AIAG) (APQP / PPAP) provides the framework for the development and manufacturing of a product for a vehicle. The approach describes gathering customer input, developing the product; develop the process from which the product will be built at volume; validate the product and the processes; finally launch the product – production.

APQP / PPAP

Voice of Customer/Requirements

The voice of the customer drives our product development endeavor. This is an understanding of the scope of the work and requirements are generated. The scope is refined to the level to which a strategy or approach to meet these customer demands can be identified and planned. This often entails the use of decision matrices (example: Pugh Matrix) and tools such as Quality Function Deployment (QFD).

Product Development

The product is iteratively and incrementally developed in the product development portion of the process. This consists of building models and prototypes of varying degrees of complexity and fidelity to the proposed final product. During each build, the product is explored, something is learned and alterations and refinements are made to the design. A tool known as the Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis (DFMEA) will help us to learn from the product as progress is made.

Process Development

In parallel with the development of the product comes the development of the processes that will ultimately produce the product at volume (Design for Manufacture and Assembly). This is often referred to as concurrent engineering. This shortens the product development cycle as well as limiting or greatly reducing rework. This work will entail setting up the manufacturing line, developing control plans, work instructions, poke yoke, DFMEA, process capability and much more.

Process/Product Validation

The validation of the product and the process helps ascertain the abilities of both the product and the manufacturing processes to meet the expectation or defined project and business goals. This phase includes trial production runs, run at rate runs, Measurement System Evaluation, Production Part Approval, and much more.

Launch

Quality management is the practices the organization employs to meet the customer quality expectation. There are techniques and tools used to deliver a cost effective quality product. This includes quality control, quality assurance, quality improvement, and quality planning. Product reliability is the quality of the product over time, and Total Quality Management is a comprehensive approach to continuous quality improvement.

APQP – Advance Product Quality Planning – an approach to automotive product development and manufacturing which includes tools and techniques in addition to processes for designing and manufacturing a quality product at automotive production volumes.

    1. https://www.aiag.org/
    2. https://www.sae.org/
    3. https://vda-qmc.de/en/software-processes/automotive-spice/
    4. https://www.assemblymag.com/
    5. https://www.ai-online.com/
    6. https://tmc.trucking.org/

Project Management for Automotive Engineers

Spamcast 380 – Kim Robertson, The Big Picture of Configuration Management

https://spamcast.libsyn.com/category/Configuration+Management

SPaMCAST 346 – Configuration Management, An Interview With Jon M Quigley

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0yNV2BTLZh5KNkUxf1hzZF

SPaMCAST 477 – Silence: A Powerful Tool, Muddling Through, Monolithic Monolith

https://podtail.se/podcast/software-process-and-measurement-cast/spamcast-477-silence-a-powerful-tool-muddling-thro/

Spamcast 380 – Kim Robertson, The Big Picture of Configuration Management

https://spamcast.libsyn.com/category/Configuration+Management

SPaMCAST 346 – Configuration Management, An Interview With Jon M Quigley

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0yNV2BTLZh5KNkUxf1hzZF

Peterman Design Firm- Conscious Management, An Interview With Jon M Quigley

https://www.petermanfirm.com/blog/podcast/interview-with-jon-quigley-of-value-transformation-on-conscious-management/

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Bridging Manufacturing Continuous Improvement and Documentation

Introduction Manufacturing organizations striving for excellence often rely on two powerful forces: manufacturing continuous improvement and robust documentation. Yet, connecting what truly happens on the shop floor with what gets recorded can be far more challenging than it seems. This gap between practice and documentation often leads to inefficiencies, inconsistent training, and the risk of losing […]

Configuration Management Strategies for Multi-Project Vehicle Platform Development

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Why You Should Stop Calling It an Engineering Change and Start Saying Enterprise Change

Why You Should Stop Calling It an Engineering Change and Start Saying Enterprise Change When I hear the phrase Engineering Change, alarm bells go off in my head. Not because I have something against engineers—I am one—but because the term limits the conversation and the scope of our thinking. In my decades of experience, I’ve […]

Project Escalation Plan for Product Development: Key Elements, Metrics, and Best Practices

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Prototype Parts vs Production Parts: Understanding Key Differences and the Path to Production

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Configuration Management and Testing and Verification

Configuration management (CM) and product testing and verification are inextricably linked processes crucial for successful product development and production. Without effective configuration management, performing effective testing becomes difficult. CM provides the foundation for efficient, reliable, and insightful testing activities in today’s complex and constantly evolving systems across automotive, aerospace, defense, and software development industries.  This […]

🚗 Value Transformation in Product Development 🚗

At Value Transformation LLC, we bridge the gap between vision and reality for innovators in the automotive and specialty vehicle sectors. Harnessing decades of hands-on experience and cutting-edge manufacturing, our team delivers. Learning quickly is essential in product development. For example, waiting 10-12 + weeks for prototype wire harnesses delivery does not support this requirement. […]

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