Apqp automotive phase 1

Plan and Define Program

The first step in the product quality planning process is to understand clearly the customers demands and expectations. The following are some of the inputs and the outputs of the process:

Inputs:

Customer’s Voice

This refers to the complaints, suggestions, data and information of internal and external customers. 

The company may establish a product quality planning team whose task is to obtain customer information by performing market research data such as customer interviews, surveys, reports, and studies. 

The team may apply any legal means of obtaining information of a customer such as Things Gone Right or Wrong reports, dealer comments, customer review, road trips, and so forth. 

The company must have a recorded historical document of all the customers to avoid a recurrence of problems encountered during the design, manufacture, installation and use of the product. 

Marketing Strategy

This will serve as the framework of the product quality plan. This is the part where target customers, key sales points, and competitors are defined. 

Product/Process Benchmark Data

This will provide input in product or performance targets. A successful method is to identify the appropriate benchmarks and to execute necessary actions to either match or exceed the said benchmark. 

Product/Process Assumptions

This refers to technical innovations, advanced components, assessments.

Product Reliability Studies

This data refers to frequency of repairs, replacement of components, and durability tests results. 

Customer Inputs

This is necessary to meet the customer’s demand and be fully satisfied with the company’s product. 

Outputs:

Design Goals

Its primary purpose is to translate the voice of the customer to an actual product. 

Reliability and Quality Goals

This is based on customer wants and expectations and reliability benchmarks. This is expressed in terms of probability and confidence limits. 

Preliminary Bill of Material

This should be established based on product or process assumptions. 

Preliminary Process Flow Chart

This is developed from the preliminary bill of material and product or process assumptions. 

Preliminary Listing of Special Product and Process Characteristics

This results from the analysis based on the supplier’s knowledge of the product and customer wants and demands. 

Product Assurance Plan

This is the translation of the design goals to design requirements. Its amount of effort depends on the customer needs, demands, and requirements.

Management Support

This is vital to the success of the creation of the product quality planning team. The team must update the management of the results of the planning phase.