APQP Status Report Template with Phase Gates and RAG Status
An APQP status report tells your customer and your own leadership, on one page, which of the five phases is on track, which is at risk and what you need decided. This template gives you that page with RAG status, deliverables per gate, open issues and a decisions box.
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APQP Status Report Template
APQP Status Report
Supplier: Acme Precision Ltd Customer: Northbridge Automotive Program: Brake caliper bracket PN-48213 rev C Report date: 2026-10-21 Program manager: A. Rivera Planned SOP: 2027-02-15 Overall status: Yellow
Executive summary
Tooling is 3 weeks behind plan because of a heat treat supplier delay. PFMEA and control plan drafts are released. Capability study on the bore diameter is scheduled after T1 samples.
Phase gate status
| Phase | Status | Key deliverables | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Plan and define | Complete | Voice of customer, design goals, preliminary BOM, special characteristics list | |
| 2 Product design and development | Complete | DFMEA, design verification, drawings and specifications, gauge and equipment requirements | |
| 3 Process design and development | Yellow | Process flow, PFMEA, control plan, measurement system plan, packaging standards | |
| 4 Product and process validation | Not started | Significant production run, MSA, capability studies, PPAP submission | |
| 5 Feedback, assessment and corrective action | Not started | Variation reduction, customer satisfaction, lessons learned |
Open issues and risks
1. Heat treat capacity at sub-supplier, owner: purchasing, due 2026-11-05. 2. Gauge R&R on bore gauge above 10 percent, owner: quality, due 2026-11-12.
Decisions or support needed
Confirm acceptance of revised T1 sample date and approve temporary deviation for surface finish sort.
Approvals
Status meaning used here: Green means on plan, Yellow means at risk with a recovery plan, Red means the gate date or a customer requirement will be missed without help. Adapt the phase names to your customer's APQP or PPAP requirements. This is a reporting aid and does not replace the AIAG APQP manual.
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How to use the template
Fill in the header, set a status for each of the five phases, write a three-sentence summary and list issues with owner and due date. Export to PDF or Word and send it on a fixed day each week or at every phase gate. Keep one report per part or program so history reads cleanly. If your customer supplies its own APQP status format, use this one as the internal master and copy the fields across.
The five phases behind the report
APQP is organized around five phases: plan and define, product design and development, process design and development, product and process validation, and feedback with corrective action. Each phase has typical outputs. Phase 1 fixes customer needs and special characteristics. Phase 2 yields DFMEA and design verification. Phase 3 yields process flow, PFMEA, the control plan and the measurement system plan. Phase 4 covers the production trial run, MSA, capability and the PPAP submission. Phase 5 closes the loop with variation reduction and lessons learned.
- Report status against the phase gate date, not against effort spent
- Tie each Yellow or Red to a named owner and a date
- Show special characteristics and capability status where the customer asks for them
Reading the RAG status
Use the same rule every week so the colour means something. A phase is Green when every deliverable due so far is done and the next gate date holds. Yellow means a deliverable is late or at risk but a recovery plan exists inside the gate date. Red means the gate date, SOP or a customer requirement will be missed without a decision, resource or deviation. Overall status should be the worst credible phase, not an average.
Common mistakes
Status reports fail when they hide problems until the last gate, when they have no owners, or when every line is green until launch week. Keep the report short and factual.
- Marking a phase Complete before the control plan and PFMEA are aligned
- Skipping measurement system studies until after the trial run
- Leaving the decisions box empty when you actually need customer input
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should an APQP status report be sent?
Weekly during Phase 3 and Phase 4, and at every phase gate, is common. Some customers set their own cadence in the supplier quality manual. Agree the day and format at kickoff and keep it constant.
What is the difference between an APQP report and a PPAP submission?
The APQP status report tracks progress through the planning phases. PPAP is the evidence package submitted to prove the production process can meet requirements. PPAP is an output of the validation phase of APQP.
Who signs off the report?
Usually the program manager and quality manager sign for the supplier, and the customer representative acknowledges it. Your customer may require specific signers in its supplier requirements.
Can I use RAG colours with other labels?
Yes. Some teams use on track, at risk and off track. What matters is a written definition of each level and consistent use from week to week.
If your APQP data lives in SyteLine, SAP or Epicor routings and quality records, Netray can add a private AI layer on-premises that answers status questions from your own data. Ask us for a short walkthrough.
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- APQP Checklist WorksheetAn editable APQP checklist by phase with owner, evidence and status columns. Track deliverables across the five phases and export to Excel.
- APQP Phase Deliverables Reference TableSearchable list of the five APQP phases with the typical inputs, outputs and owners for each deliverable.
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