"[1] It is a product development process employed by General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, and their suppliers.
Advanced product quality planning is a process developed in the late 1980s by a commission of experts who gathered around the 'Big Three' of the US automobile industry: Ford, GM, and Chrysler.
[2] This commission worked five years to analyze the then-current automotive development and production status in the US, Europe, and especially in Japan.
The basis for the process control plan is described in AIAG's APQP manual[3] These include: APQP serves as a guide in the development process and also a standard way to share results between suppliers and automotive companies.
APQP specifies three phases: Development, Industrialization, and Product Launch.