APQP Timing Plan Worksheet
The APQP timing plan is the schedule that ties together design, process, tooling and validation work for a new automotive part. This worksheet organizes activities by the five APQP phases and gives a weighted progress figure for status reviews.
| APQP phase | Activity | Owner | Start | Due | Planned days | Percent complete (%) | Earned days | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | |||||||||
16 | |||||||||
8 | |||||||||
8.75 | |||||||||
0 | |||||||||
0 |
Planned days are effort or duration you enter yourself; the worksheet does not calculate days from dates. Add rows for each deliverable your customer requires.
Launch status from ERP data
Optional: see how project and shop floor data could keep a timing plan current without manual updates.
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How to use it
Start from the customer's milestone dates: sample delivery, PPAP due date and start of production. Work backwards, adding rows for each activity under its phase, with an owner, start and due date. Enter planned days and update percent complete before each team meeting. Earned days and overall weighted progress update automatically. Export to Excel to share with the customer or paste into a Gantt chart tool.
The five phases
APQP, Advanced Product Quality Planning, structures a launch into plan and define, product design and development, process design and development, product and process validation, and feedback, assessment and corrective action. Each phase has typical outputs, such as design FMEA in phase 2, PFMEA and control plan in phase 3, and run at rate and PPAP in phase 4. The timing plan makes sure none of these deliverables is missing.
- Phase 1: customer needs, goals, preliminary bill of materials
- Phase 2: DFMEA, design verification, drawings
- Phase 3: flow diagram, PFMEA, control plan, packaging
- Phase 4: run at rate, MSA, capability, PPAP
- Phase 5: reduced variation, customer satisfaction, lessons learned
Reading the progress figure
Weighted progress is earned days divided by total planned days. In the example, the program is about half done, but the process design work carries more weight and sits behind plan. Compare progress against the calendar: if the program is 70 percent through its time and only 50 percent complete, escalate. Weighted progress is only as honest as the percent complete entries, so define done criteria per activity.
Common mistakes
Planning tooling and gauges too late, leaving MSA and capability studies until the week before PPAP, ignoring customer holidays and shutdowns, and treating phase 5 as optional. Include time for rework of failed first runs, since a first run at rate rarely passes untouched on complex parts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an APQP timing plan?
It is the schedule of all activities needed to launch a new part, organized by the APQP phases, with owners, dates and status. It is usually reviewed weekly by the cross functional team and shared with the customer at agreed milestones.
Who owns the APQP timing plan?
The APQP team leader or program manager owns it, with each activity assigned to a named function owner such as design, process, tooling or quality. A cross functional team reviews it regularly so risks are raised early.
How many phases does APQP have?
APQP has five phases: plan and define, product design and development, process design and development, product and process validation, and feedback, assessment and corrective action. Some customers also map them to their own gateway systems.
Does the worksheet calculate dates automatically?
No. You enter start and due dates and planned days yourself. Earned days and weighted progress are calculated from planned days and percent complete. This keeps the plan flexible for calendar differences between sites and customers.
Netray can connect project, routing and tooling data from your ERP to a private launch dashboard if you want status without manual updates.
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