1. What is APQP? (Core metaphor)

Full name: Product Quality Planning

Essence: A structured, team-based, problem-avoiding project management process.

Core philosophy: “Nip problems in the bud” and “Do it right the first time.” It requires systematic thinking from the drawing stage or even the conceptual stage of a product: How to design? How to produce? What issues might arise? How to prevent them? How to test? How to ensure customer satisfaction with the final product?

Metaphor: It’s like building a skyscraper.

You don’t just pull a bunch of workers and go to the construction site and start laying bricks, do you?

• You need to do detailed design drawings (blueprints) first–this is equivalent to early design and planning in APQP.
• Consider what materials to use, how to construct, and what risks will be encountered (e.g., unstable foundation, weather effects) –this is equivalent to APQP risk analysis.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, construction teams, suppliers and other parties-this is equivalent to the cross-departmental team of APQP.
• Develop detailed construction steps and schedules-this is equivalent to the phase division and planning of APQP.
• Check at key points (e.g., after foundation pouring, after each floor is topped out) -this is equivalent to APQP review and verification.

The ultimate goal is to deliver a high quality building on time, on budget and safely–which is equivalent to the APQP goal of delivering products that meet customer requirements on time.

APQP is the whole planning and management system from design blueprint to final acceptance to ensure that the building (product) is safe.

2. What is the core role of APQP? (Why is it important?)

Preventive problem-solving saves money and time: This is the ultimate advantage! Identifying design flaws, production bottlenecks, and potential risks (like fragile components or error-prone processes) before mass production allows proactive solutions. Compared to discovering issues during manufacturing that lead to massive rework, product scrap, or recalls – these proactive measures slash costs dramatically! Consider this: correcting a design flaw on paper takes just a few strokes; catching it on the production line could prevent millions in losses.

Ensure that the product meets all customer requirements: What color, what function, how long life, what safety standards? APQP requires that these requirements be defined from the beginning and checked throughout the development process to ensure that the final product meets them exactly.

Ensure on-time delivery: Through detailed phase division and time planning, all parties involved (design, procurement, production, quality, etc.) are clear about what to do when, so as to avoid project delay due to a bottleneck in one link.

Promote team collaboration: APQP emphasizes the need for a team consisting of design, manufacturing, quality, procurement, sales and even supplier representatives to work together. Break down departmental walls, align goals, share information, and avoid fighting in the trenches.

Laying the groundwork for subsequent production: The final outputs of APQP (e.g., process flow charts, control plans, and work instructions) directly guide how to consistently produce qualified products during mass production. It ensures that the production process is fully validated and optimized.

3. What are the main directions of APQP? (Key control areas)

APQP acts as a project manager, focusing on the following core areas:

a) Define goals and requirements (starting point):

• What do customers want? (function, performance, appearance, regulations, cost, delivery time, etc.)
• What are our own internal requirements and expectations? (profit, productivity, etc.)
• What are relevant laws and regulations and industry standards (safety, environmental protection, etc.)

Simply put: make “what to do” clear and make it the basis of all work.

b) Product design and development (draw the blueprint):

Design: Design product drawings, specifications, material list and so on according to requirements.

Validation: Is what you’ve designed theoretically possible? Check to see if it meets the requirements through calculations, simulations, design reviews, etc. For example, when designing a stroller, you might run a computer simulation to see if it’s sturdy.

Simply put: make sure that what is designed is on paper to be acceptable and achievable.

c) Process design and development (planning production lines):

Take the design and development of our 7.0 inch TFT products and the establishment of production line as an example:

Production method: After the product is designed, how to make it? What equipment, tooling and process are needed? Make a detailed “production roadmap” (process flow chart).

Site layout: How to arrange the production line most reasonably and efficiently?

Risk Prevention: What could go wrong at each stage of the production process? How serious would the consequences be? How can we prevent errors or detect them promptly when they occur? (This is PFMEA – Process Failure Mode and Effectiveness Analysis, a crucial tool in APQP that we will discuss separately later).

Quality control plan: What are the critical control points on the production line? What methods are used to check? How often are they checked? Who checks them? (Forming a prototype of the control plan).

Simply put: plan “how to make” in advance, find out the possible risk points in the production process, and do a good job of prevention.

d) Product and process confirmation (pilot production and testing):

In order to verify that the product can be mass-produced, we need to do the following:

pre-production trial ：

• Produce a small number of products on a planned production line (or a line close to mass production).

Test verification:

• Are these trial products really qualified?
• Does it fully meet customer requirements? (Perform various performance and reliability tests).

Process capability:

• Is the production line stable?
• Is the output fluctuating a lot?
• Can we continue to make qualified products steadily? (Through SPC, statistical process control and other methods).

instrumentationsystem ：

• Are the tools and instruments used to test the products themselves reliable?
• Is the measurement accurate? (MSA-measurement system analysis).

Simply put: actually “make a try” to verify whether the product is qualified and whether the production process is stable and reliable.

e) Feedback, evaluation and continuous improvement (conclusion and optimization):

Problem solving: The problems exposed in trial production and testing must be analyzed and solved thoroughly.

Experience summary: the good experience and lessons in this project should be recorded to provide reference for future projects.

Deliver to the customer: organize all documents that prove the product qualification and process control, and submit them to the customer for review and approval (this is PPAP-production piece approval procedure, an important output of APQP).

Mass production transfer: All preparations are ready, and the product is formally transferred to the mass production department for large-scale production according to the APQP plan.

Simply put: solve the trial production problem, organize the evidence for the client to approve, start production, and use the lessons learned for future improvements.

Throughout the control:

Teamwork: The process can not be done by one person or one department, but must rely on close cooperation between cross-functional teams.

Risk management: Identify and prevent risks continuously during the design and process development phase (mainly through FMEA).

Documentation: The analysis, decision, plan and verification results of each stage are clearly recorded to form a complete “chain of evidence” and operation guide. This is a very important part of APQP!

To summarize the essence of APQP:

APQP is a super detailed “conception plan” and “delivery guide” before the product is “born”. It requires:

Start planning early (up front).

Clear objectives (meet requirements).

Design and production in both hands (product and process).

Look for problems in advance (prevention first).

Teamwork is seamless (cross-functional).

Let the facts speak for themselves (trial production).

Leave evidence in black and white (documentation).

The ultimate goal is to make a good product that customers can not find fault with at the lowest cost and in the shortest time!

Think of it as a “navigator” and “roped in” for product development. Without it, developing a new product is like sailing in uncharted waters, where you can run aground and get lost; with it, you can reach your destination more safely and efficiently.