How can you apply quality management principles to APQP projects?

1 What is APQP?

APQP is a structured process that guides you through five phases of product development: plan and define, product design and development, process design and development, product and process validation, and feedback, assessment, and corrective action. APQP helps you identify and address potential risks, problems, and opportunities at each phase, and ensures that you deliver a product that meets the specifications and expectations of your customers and stakeholders.

2 How to apply quality management principles to APQP?

Quality management principles are the core values and concepts that guide your quality efforts and decisions, such as customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making, and relationship management. You can apply these principles to APQP projects by defining quality objectives and policies based on customer needs and expectations, leading and supporting your team in planning and executing the APQP activities, encouraging team members to participate actively in the APQP process, following a process approach to manage the interrelated activities and tasks of the APQP phases, seeking opportunities for improvement throughout the APQP process, implementing changes and corrections based on data and evidence, and evaluating the results and feedback of the APQP project. Doing so will help you improve your quality processes, products, and relationships.

3 What are the benefits of applying quality management principles to APQP?

By applying quality management principles to APQP projects, you can reap several rewards such as improved customer satisfaction and loyalty, a greater competitive advantage and market share, reduced costs and risks, increased efficiency and effectiveness, and a developed quality culture and leadership. These benefits come from delivering products that meet or exceed customer requirements and expectations, developing innovative and high-quality products that meet current and future needs of customers and the industry, preventing or minimizing defects, errors, rework, waste, and delays in product development processes, streamlining processes, optimizing resources, as well as fostering a shared vision, commitment, and responsibility for quality among team members and partners.

4 How to measure and monitor your quality performance in APQP projects?

To measure and monitor your quality performance in APQP projects, you need to establish and use relevant quality indicators and metrics that reflect your quality objectives and customer expectations. These can include customer satisfaction scores, product quality characteristics and specifications, product reliability tests, process capability measures, defect and error rates, rework and scrap costs, cycle time, delivery time, change and improvement rates, and more. Data and information on these indicators should be collected and analyzed regularly to evaluate your quality performance and identify areas for improvement.

5 How to improve your quality leadership skills in APQP projects?

Quality leadership is the ability to inspire, influence, and guide your team and partners towards achieving quality excellence and customer satisfaction. To improve your quality leadership skills in APQP projects, you should set clear and realistic quality goals that align with customer and organizational expectations. Additionally, provide constructive and timely feedback and recognition to your team members and partners. Empower them to make decisions that support quality improvement and innovation, while also respecting their autonomy and diversity. Communicate openly with your team members and partners, listening to their opinions, concerns, and suggestions. Learn from successes and failures, sharing lessons and best practices with your team members. Seek feedback from customers, stakeholders, mentors, and peers to enhance quality knowledge and skills. Lastly, stay updated on the latest trends, developments, and challenges in the industry so you can adapt quality strategies accordingly.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?