APQP and Launch
APQP is the five phase process that takes a new part from concept to mass production without surprises. Done well, it forces cross functional alignment early, catches design risks before tooling is cut, and gives the launch team a clear path to PPAP approval. Done badly, it becomes a binder of templates nobody reads. The guides in this topic cover what each phase actually requires, how the deliverables chain together, and how AI APQP changes which steps a human still has to do by hand. Useful for engineers running a launch and for managers trying to compress launch timelines without breaking quality.
2 articles in this topic
Featured article

What is APQP? Advanced Product Quality Planning Explained
A comprehensive guide to Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) — the 5 phases, key deliverables, how it connects to PPAP, and why it's the backbone of automotive supplier quality.
Read the full guideAPQP Software
Why spreadsheets stall at scale and what dedicated APQP platforms do differently.
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