How to create an inspection plan in SAP QM (QP01)
how to create inspection plan in sap qm
Also searched as
- sap qm inspection plan report
- QP01 create inspection plan
- sap qm inspection plan tables PLKO PLPO MAPL
Short answer
Use QP01 to create the plan: enter the material and plant, fill the header (usage, status), add an operation with a work center, assign inspection characteristics, set the sampling procedure and save. The plan is only found at goods receipt when it is assigned to the material and the material has an active inspection type.
Applies to: SAP ECC 6.0 and S/4HANA on-premise
Create an inspection plan with QP01
- 1Run QP01. Enter the material and plant, leave the group blank so the system assigns a number, and press Enter. If you want to base the plan on an existing one, use the copy-from option instead.
- 2On the header screen set the Usage (typically 5 for goods receipt inspection, or 1 for production), the Status (4 for released, so the plan can be selected), the planning group and the lot size range if required. Maintain the unit of measure.
- 3Open the material assignment area on the header, or confirm the material you entered is already in the list. This creates the link stored in table MAPL.
- 4Go to the operation overview and create operation 0010: enter the work center, a control key that supports inspection characteristics, and a short text.
- 5Select the operation and open the inspection characteristics. Add master inspection characteristics (MICs) you created in QS21 by using the master characteristic reference, or define plan-specific characteristics directly.
- 6For each characteristic set the control indicators (quantitative or qualitative, recording required), the target and tolerance limits, and the sampling procedure and sample size that applies.
- 7Save. Verify in the material master QM view (MM02) that an inspection type such as 01 is active, otherwise no lot will be created from this plan.
What each part of the plan controls
The plan header holds identity and selection data: group and group counter, usage, status, planner group and the material allocation. Selection at lot creation uses material, plant, usage and status together, so a plan with the wrong usage or an unreleased status is invisible to the system even though it exists.
Operations describe where and how inspection happens. A work center and a control key are required, and the control key must allow inspection characteristics. Each operation can carry many characteristics; sequence them as the inspector will perform them because the order drives the results-recording screen.
Characteristics carry the actual requirement: which attribute, target value, limits, whether results are recorded numerically, and which sampling procedure determines the sample size. Re-using master inspection characteristics from QS21 keeps specifications consistent across plans and lets you change a limit once.
Sampling procedures and dynamic modification
The sampling procedure (QDV3) defines how sample size is derived from lot size: fixed sample, percentage sample, or a table-based plan such as an AQL scheme. It can be set at plan, operation or characteristic level. If sample size comes out as zero or the whole lot, the cause is nearly always a mismatch between the lot-size range in the sampling procedure and the actual inspection lot quantity.
A dynamic modification rule (QDR2 for the rule, with a stage held on the plan or material) can tighten or relax the sample size over time based on quality history. Keep this off during first implementation of a plan; add it only once the baseline works.
Listing plans and a simple plan report
QP03 displays a single plan. For a list of what exists, the standard transactions for task list reports differ by release, so many teams read the tables directly or build a query. The header is in PLKO, the allocation of materials to plans in MAPL, the operations in PLPO and the characteristics in PLMK.
A useful check is to find materials with an active inspection type that have no plan; those produce lots with no characteristics. Compare the material master QM data in table MARC and the allocation table MAPL.
SE16N table MAPL fields: MATNR, WERKS, PLNTY (task list type, Q for inspection plans), PLNNR (group), PLNAL (group counter)
SE16N table PLKO fields: PLNTY=Q, PLNNR, PLNAL, STATU (status), VERWE (usage), KTEXT (description)
SE16N table PLPO fields: PLNTY=Q, PLNNR, PLNKN (node), VORNR (operation), ARBID (work center id)
Why the plan is not picked up at goods receipt
The common causes are an inspection type that is not active in MM02 on the Quality Management view, a plan status that is not released, a usage code that the inspection type does not search for, and a plan assigned to a different plant. Fix selection first; do not duplicate plans to work around it.
Try it here, free
SAP QM Inspection Plan Design Template
A design document you fill in before building an inspection plan in QP01: scope, operations, characteristics, sampling and sign-off.
Common pitfalls
- !Leaving the plan status at 1 (created) so it is never selected.
- !Creating plan-specific characteristics where a master inspection characteristic should be reused, which makes later limit changes a plan-by-plan exercise.
- !Forgetting the inspection type in the material master, so the lot is never generated.
- !Using a control key without inspection characteristics enabled, which hides the characteristic button.
- !Skipping a transport for QS21 master characteristics and moving the plan alone, which fails in the target system.
How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this
A grounded assistant is useful here for audit-style questions: which materials have an active inspection type but no plan in MAPL, which plans are not released, or which characteristics have limits that differ across similar plans. It reads PLKO, MAPL, PLPO and PLMK on your own system and returns the rows, leaving any creation or change in QP01 to your planners.
Frequently asked questions
What transaction creates an inspection plan in SAP QM?
QP01 creates an inspection plan, QP02 changes it and QP03 displays it. Master inspection characteristics are created separately in QS21, and sampling procedures are maintained in QDV3.
What usage should I set on an inspection plan?
Usage 5 is the standard code for goods receipt inspection and 1 for production, but the codes are defined in customizing. The usage must match what the inspection type searches for, otherwise the plan is not selected at lot creation.
How do I see all inspection plans for a material?
Read table MAPL for the material and plant with task list type Q, then join to PLKO for status and description. You can do this in SE16N or a query. QP03 only displays one plan at a time.
Do I need a master inspection characteristic?
No, you can define plan-specific characteristics. Master characteristics from QS21 are recommended when several plans share a specification, because a limit change is made once and flows to every plan that references it.
Related
How to release (and cancel) an inspection lot in SAP QM
Open the lot in QA02, check the system status, and use the Release function so the status moves from CRTD (created) to REL (released); only then can results be recorded in QE01 and a usage decision made in QA11. To cancel a lot, use the cancel function in QA02, which only works while no usage decision exists and no stock posting blocks it.
Error fixSAP QM: Inspection Lot Not Created at Goods Receipt
An inspection lot is created only when QM is active for the plant, the material has an active inspection type for the goods movement, and the material carries a QM control key. Check the Quality Management view in MM02, confirm inspection type 01 (purchase order) or 04 (production order) is active, then check QM activation in the plant and the goods movement used.
How-toSAP QM inspection results report: which tcode shows what
Use QA32 for the list of inspection lots, QE51N or QE03 for recorded results, the QM information system (for example QM12) and QGC2 for evaluations of characteristics over time, and QA11 or QAVE for usage decisions. If none fits, read the tables QALS, QAMV, QAMR and QAVE directly.
How-toSAP QM SPC: control charts, Cpk and stability studies
SAP QM supports statistical process control through quality control charts, created in QGC1 and evaluated with QGC2, fed by quantitative results recorded in inspection lots. Cpk and process capability indices are calculated from those results. Stability studies are a separate, time-based sampling function used mainly in regulated industries.
Error fixSAP M7 021: Deficit of SL Stock Quantity
M7 021 fires during a goods issue, delivery, or confirmation when SAP checks the unrestricted-use (SL) stock for the exact plant, storage location and batch combination and finds less than what you are trying to post out. Fix the entry (batch, storage location, quantity) first; only enable negative stock or downgrade the message to a warning if the business genuinely needs to post ahead of a receipt.
Error fixSAP IDoc Status 51: Application Document Not Posted
Status 51 tells you the IDoc reached the application layer and failed to post, but the status text itself is not the error - the real cause sits in the status record's long text or the linked application log. Fix the underlying data or configuration, then reprocess the IDoc through BD87 rather than editing the status.
AI for ERPAI for SAP Quality Management: Notifications, 8D, and CAPA Without the Manual Drafting
AI grounded on SAP QM data that triages notifications, drafts 8D and CAPA reports, and summarizes inspection trends, deployed on-prem for full traceability.
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Keep exploring
Free tools
- SAP QM Inspection Plan Design TemplateA design document you fill in before building an inspection plan in QP01: scope, operations, characteristics, sampling and sign-off.
- SAP QM Inspection Plan Planning WorksheetA planning table for inspection operations, characteristics, limits, sample and effort, ready to review before QP01 entry.
- SAP QM Sampling Procedure Design TemplateFill in the key choices for a sampling procedure and produce a design document you can review with quality and the SAP team.
ERP fixes and how-tos
- How to Create an Inspection Method in SAP QM (QS31)Create an inspection method in SAP QM with QS31, then assign it to master inspection characteristics (QS21) and inspection plans so the instructions reach the inspector.
- How to Create a MIC (Master Inspection Characteristic) in SAP QMCreate a master inspection characteristic in SAP QM with QS21: quantitative vs qualitative setup, catalogs and profiles, and the MIC tables QPMK and QPMT.
- How to Create a Sampling Procedure in SAP QMCreate a sampling procedure and sampling scheme in SAP QM: QDV3, QDP1, sample types, valuation modes and how to assign them to inspection plans.