APQP & PPAP, alive
Your APQP is a living model, not a binder.
SolidLaunchpad connects process flow → PFMEA → control plan → the 18-element PPAP into one model that stays in sync. The method checks itself, special characteristics propagate, and AI drafts your first PFMEA while you pour the coffee.
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From the team behind SolidQMS — the all-in-one QHSE & ISO-compliance platformHow it works
From a paragraph to a submittable PPAP.
Five steps take a brand-new part from a blank page to a customer-ready Production Part Approval Process — without rebuilding four disconnected documents by hand.
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01
Describe the part
Write a paragraph about the part and how it's made — or create the program by hand. No template hunting.
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02
AI drafts the core
In ~20 seconds you get a typed process flow, an AIAG-VDA PFMEA with S/O/D and rationale, and a starter control plan.
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03
Review & refine
Every AI row is flagged ✨ until you accept it. Edit inline, drag failure modes on the risk matrix, add controls.
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04
The method checks itself
A consistency engine runs the hard AIAG/VDA rules and flags gaps — unscored rows, missing detection, orphaned special characteristics.
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05
Build the PPAP & submit
Work the 18-element board. Engineering elements link to your live artifacts; the PSW lights up when everything applicable is complete.
The basics
What APQP and PPAP actually are.
If you supply parts into automotive or aerospace, these two acronyms govern how you launch a product. Here's the plain-language version — and how SolidLaunchpad makes each one a living thing instead of a folder of files.
APQP — Advanced Product Quality Planning
A structured framework that takes a new part from concept to capable production in five phases, so quality is planned in rather than inspected later. Each phase produces the inputs the next one needs.
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1
Plan & define the programTranslate the voice of the customer, targets and special characteristics into a quality plan before any metal is cut.
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2
Product design & developmentDesign FMEA, design verification and the early drawings — the inputs your process has to deliver.
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3
Process design & developmentProcess flow, PFMEA and control plan: how the part will actually be made, and how every risk is controlled.
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4
Product & process validationTrial runs, MSA, initial process studies (Cpk) and the PPAP submission that proves the process is capable.
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5
Launch, feedback & corrective actionRamp to volume, monitor with the control plan, and feed escapes back into the PFMEA. The model keeps living.
PPAP — Production Part Approval Process
The standardized evidence pack a supplier submits to prove it can make the part to specification at volume. It bundles 18 elements; the engineering ones — Process Flow, PFMEA and Control Plan — are exactly the artifacts you build in phase 3.
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1
PSW only — Part Submission Warrant submitted to the customer.
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2
PSW + samples + limited data — Warrant with product samples and limited supporting evidence.
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3
PSW + samples + complete data — The default for most automotive parts — full supporting documentation.
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4
PSW + customer-defined — Whatever the customer specifically requires.
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5
PSW + samples + full data, on site — Complete records reviewed at the supplier's manufacturing location.
01
✨ Describe it. Get a PFMEA.
Tell the AI about your part and process in plain language — it drafts a typed process flow, a method-correct PFMEA with S/O/D and rationale, and a starter control plan in about 20 seconds. Every draft lands as editable rows, clearly flagged ✨ until you accept them. You review; the AI does the legwork.
02
One linked, living model.
Process flow, PFMEA and control plan share the same process steps and special characteristics. Change a step and everything stays in sync. The PPAP's elements 5, 6 and 7 are not re-uploads — they're live links to these very artifacts.
flow
plan
5·6·7
Shared process steps & special characteristics — change once, synced everywhere.
03
The method guards itself.
A consistency engine runs the hard AIAG/VDA rules continuously: a severity-9 failure mode without a detection control, an unscored row, a special characteristic that hasn't propagated into both the PFMEA and the control plan — surfaced as a quiet wayfinder, never a blocker.
04
The 18-element PPAP, live.
The full Production Part Approval Process as a board: applicability, owner and status per element, with the engineering elements wired to your live artifacts. The PSW button stays dim until every applicable element is complete — then it lights up.
The method, in depth
PFMEA, control plan and special characteristics — done right.
SolidLaunchpad isn't a generic form builder. It implements the AIAG-VDA method end to end, so the analysis you produce is the analysis your customer and auditor expect.
AIAG-VDA PFMEA with live Action Priority
Score Severity, Occurrence and Detection on the 1–10 scales and the Action Priority (High / Medium / Low) is looked up from the official AIAG-VDA table as you type — no RPN arithmetic, Severity weighted first. A colour-coded Severity × Occurrence risk matrix plots every failure mode, and you can drag a dot to re-score it.
Control plan that inherits the risk
Each control-plan line ties back to a process step and a characteristic — specification, evaluation method, sample size and frequency, control method and reaction plan. Because it shares the process flow, the high-risk steps from your PFMEA are exactly the ones the control plan has to cover.
Special characteristics that propagate
Flag a characteristic as critical or significant once, and SolidLaunchpad tracks it from the PFMEA into the control plan. If a special characteristic isn't controlled everywhere it should be, the method check tells you — before the customer does.
The full 18-element PPAP
Every submission tracks all 18 AIAG elements with applicability, owner and status. Elements 5, 6 and 7 are live links to your process flow, PFMEA and control plan — so they're never out of date.
Use cases
Who uses SolidLaunchpad.
From a single quality engineer drafting a first PFMEA to a plant running dozens of program launches — anywhere APQP and PPAP are part of the job.
Tier-1 & Tier-2 automotive suppliers
Preparing PPAP packages for OEM and Tier-1 customers under IATF 16949 — machined, moulded, stamped, cast, welded or assembled parts.
Aerospace suppliers (AS9145)
Run APQP and the FAI/PPAP flow for aerospace programs with the same connected model and AIAG-VDA-style risk analysis.
Quality & APQP engineers
Stop reconciling a process-flow spreadsheet, a PFMEA workbook and a control-plan template by hand. One model, always in sync.
New program launches
Take a new part from kickoff to a submittable PPAP — fast — without starting every document from a blank page.
Engineering changes & re-PPAP
Revise the affected steps, let the change ripple through PFMEA and control plan, and re-submit a clean warrant.
Audit & customer readiness
Share a live, consistent package with your customer SQE and your IATF auditor — free viewer seats, no exported stale PDFs.
Why it's different
A living model beats a binder.
The traditional APQP package is four documents in four files that quietly drift apart. SolidLaunchpad keeps them as one connected model — here's what that buys you.
One source of truth
Process flow, PFMEA, control plan and PPAP share the same steps and special characteristics. No copy-paste, no version drift between four documents.
Self-checking method
Hard AIAG/VDA rules run continuously, so a severity-9 mode without detection or an un-propagated special characteristic never slips through to the auditor.
Faster, not sloppier
AI removes the blank-page tax on the first PFMEA and control plan; you spend your time on engineering judgement, not formatting.
Always audit-ready
Because the PPAP's engineering elements are live links — not re-uploads — your submission reflects today's reality, not last quarter's.
Glossary
APQP & PPAP terms, defined.
The acronyms you'll meet across a launch — in one place.
- APQP
- Advanced Product Quality Planning — the five-phase framework for taking a new part from concept to capable production.
- PPAP
- Production Part Approval Process — the standardized 18-element evidence pack that proves a supplier can make the part to requirements at volume.
- PFMEA
- Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis — the AIAG-VDA risk analysis of each process step, scored on Severity, Occurrence and Detection.
- DFMEA
- Design FMEA — the same risk analysis applied to the product design rather than the manufacturing process.
- Control plan
- The document that defines how each special and key characteristic is measured and controlled in production, with reaction plans.
- Special characteristic
- A product or process characteristic (critical or significant) that needs extra control because it affects safety, fit, function or compliance.
- Action Priority (AP)
- The AIAG-VDA replacement for RPN — a High / Medium / Low priority looked up from the combination of Severity, Occurrence and Detection.
- S / O / D
- Severity, Occurrence and Detection — each rated 1–10; the three inputs that drive Action Priority in a PFMEA.
- PSW
- Part Submission Warrant — element 18, the cover sheet the supplier signs to certify the PPAP submission.
- MSA
- Measurement System Analysis — studies (e.g. Gage R&R) that prove your measurement system is capable of trusting the data.
- IATF 16949
- The automotive quality management system standard that requires APQP, PPAP and AIAG-VDA FMEA from suppliers.
- AS9145
- The aerospace standard defining APQP and the Production Part Approval Process for the aviation, space and defense supply chain.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
What is APQP?
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Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) is a structured, five-phase framework — planning, product design, process design, product & process validation, and launch — for developing a new part so that it consistently meets customer requirements in real production. It is required of suppliers under IATF 16949 and mirrored by AS9145 in aerospace.
What is PPAP and what are the 18 elements?
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The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is the evidence package a supplier submits to prove it can manufacture a part to specification at production volumes. It has 18 elements, including Design Records, the Process Flow Diagram, the PFMEA, the Control Plan, Measurement System Analysis, Dimensional Results, Initial Process Studies and — as the signed cover sheet — the Part Submission Warrant (PSW).
What are the PPAP submission levels?
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There are five levels. Level 1 is the PSW only; Level 2 adds samples and limited data; Level 3 (the default for most automotive parts) is the PSW with samples and complete supporting data; Level 4 is whatever the customer defines; and Level 5 is complete records reviewed at the supplier's site. SolidLaunchpad lets you set the level per submission and tracks exactly which elements are applicable.
What is a PFMEA and how is Action Priority calculated?
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A Process FMEA analyses how each manufacturing step can fail, the effect, and the cause, scoring Severity, Occurrence and Detection from 1–10. The AIAG-VDA method then looks up an Action Priority of High, Medium or Low from the combination of those three scores — Severity dominates, then Occurrence, then Detection. SolidLaunchpad computes AP live from the official table as you edit.
How is Action Priority different from RPN?
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The old Risk Priority Number simply multiplied S × O × D, which treated a low-severity / high-occurrence risk the same as a dangerous one with the same product. The AIAG-VDA 2019 handbook replaced RPN with Action Priority, a decision table that prioritises Severity first — so a safety-relevant failure is never buried by arithmetic.
Does SolidLaunchpad follow IATF 16949 and the AIAG-VDA FMEA handbook?
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Yes. The PFMEA uses AIAG-VDA Severity / Occurrence / Detection and the official Action Priority table, the control plan and special-characteristic flow follow IATF 16949 expectations, and the PPAP board implements the standard 18 elements. The model is equally suited to AS9145 in aerospace.
How is this different from Excel spreadsheets or the AIAG forms?
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Spreadsheets disconnect your process flow, PFMEA, control plan and PPAP into four files that drift apart. SolidLaunchpad makes them one model: the same steps and special characteristics flow through everything, the method checks itself, and the PPAP's engineering elements are live links rather than re-uploaded copies — so the submission always reflects current reality.
Does the AI replace the quality engineer?
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No — it removes the blank page. The AI drafts a method-correct first PFMEA and control plan from your description in about 20 seconds; every row is clearly flagged ✨ until a person reviews and accepts it. Engineering judgement stays with your team.
Can I share a program with my customer or auditor?
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Yes. Viewer seats are free, so you can give your customer's SQE and your IATF auditor read access to a live, always-current package instead of emailing stale PDFs.
How long does it take to get to a submittable PPAP?
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You can have an AI-drafted process flow, PFMEA and control plan within minutes of describing a part, then work the 18-element board at your own pace. The Part Submission Warrant unlocks automatically once every applicable element is complete.
Pricing
Simple, per-editor pricing.
Viewers are always free — a PPAP is made to be shared, with your customer and your auditor.
A 1-week trial, then free for one program.
- ✓1-week trial of everything
- ✓Then 1 program, free
- ✓Process flow, PFMEA & control plan
- ✓Unlimited free viewers
The full living APQP, for your whole quality team.
- ✓Unlimited programs
- ✓AI drafting (PFMEA & control plan)
- ✓Self-checking AIAG-VDA method
- ✓Live risk matrix & Action Priority
- ✓18-element PPAP board & PSW
- ✓Unlimited free viewers
For regulated, audited supply chains.
- ✓Everything in Pro
- ✓Single sign-on (SSO)
- ✓Onboarding on your methodology
- ✓Audit trail & SLA
Prices exclude VAT. Annual billing saves ~2 months. Viewers are always free; cancel anytime.
From a paragraph to a submittable PPAP.
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