Every automotive quality manager knows the moment: a new part clears tooling sign-off, launch is weeks away, and the customer portal returns a single line, PPAP required. What follows is often a scramble through shared drives and disconnected spreadsheets to assemble eighteen elements that should have been building themselves throughout development. PPAP was never meant to be a fire drill, it was designed as documented proof that a supplier's process can consistently meet requirements, repeatably, not just once for a sample batch. Quality teams who want to see AI-assisted PPAP documentation in action can book a demo before their next submission.
QUALITY MANAGER GUIDE · PPAP · 2026
Eighteen Elements, One Organized Package
AI-assisted documentation pulls dimensional results, material certifications, and process flow diagrams together automatically, replacing the pre-launch scramble with a package that builds itself.
What PPAP Actually Requires
PPAP was developed by the Automotive Industry Action Group as part of Advanced Product Quality Planning, giving suppliers and OEMs common terminology and standard forms for part approval. The full package consists of eighteen elements, covering everything from design records and process flow diagrams to dimensional results, material certifications, and the Part Submission Warrant that ties the whole package together.
Not every element gets sent to the customer at every submission level, five levels exist, ranging from a PSW-only submission to a complete package with samples available for review at the supplier's site. All eighteen elements must still be completed and retained on file regardless of level, since customers can request any of them during a supplier audit.
1Design Records
2Engineering Change Documents
3Customer Engineering Approval
4Design FMEA
5Process Flow Diagram
6Process FMEA
7Control Plan
8Measurement System Analysis
9Dimensional Results
10Material & Performance Test Results
11Initial Process Studies
12Qualified Laboratory Documentation
13Appearance Approval Report
14Sample Production Parts
15Master Sample
16Checking Aids
17Customer-Specific Requirements
18Part Submission Warrant
Submission Levels, From Least to Most Documentation
The submission level a customer assigns determines how much of the eighteen-element package is actually sent for review, though the underlying work of completing every element still has to happen regardless of level.
Level 1
PSW only
Level 2
PSW, samples, limited data
Level 3
PSW, samples, complete data
Level 4
PSW plus customer-defined requirements
Level 5
Full package, reviewed on-site
| Level | What's Submitted | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | PSW only | Trusted, long-standing supplier relationship |
| Level 2 | PSW with samples and limited data | Minor process or material change |
| Level 3 | PSW with samples and complete data | Default level for most new parts |
| Level 5 | Full package reviewed at supplier site | High-risk or safety-critical parts |
AI-ASSISTED PPAP DOCUMENTATION
Stop Rebuilding the Package Every Launch
See how automated documentation across all 18 elements compares to your current PPAP process.
The Pre-Launch Scramble, Before and After
MANUAL PPAP PROCESS
Data gathered from spreadsheets days before the deadline
Missing certifications discovered at the last minute
Control plans rebuilt from scratch for each submission
No visibility into which elements are actually complete
AI-ASSISTED PPAP PROCESS
Data captured continuously as development proceeds
Missing elements flagged weeks before the deadline
Process flow diagrams pull from the same live source data
Real-time status across all 18 elements at any time
What Quality Managers Are Saying
We used to find out we were missing a material certification two days before a PPAP deadline, every single time. Having the data captured continuously through development instead of gathered at the end has completely changed how our launches feel.
Quality Manager, Automotive Tier-1 Supplier
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all 18 elements need to go to the customer every time?
No, the submission level determines which elements are actually sent, ranging from just the Part Submission Warrant at Level 1 up to the complete package at Level 5. Regardless of which level applies, all eighteen elements still need to be completed and kept on file at the supplier's site, since customers can request any element during an audit even if it was never formally submitted for that particular part.
When does a new PPAP submission become required?
A new submission is typically triggered by a design change, a process or tooling change, a material substitution, or a production gap of twelve months or more on that part. Even changes that seem minor from a quality standpoint, like a new supplier for a raw material, can trigger the requirement, so tracking these events as they happen matters more than trying to reconstruct history right before a deadline.
What is interim approval and when is it used?
Interim approval is a time-limited, quantity-limited authorization to ship parts while specific open items, such as a capability study still in progress, are being resolved. It carries an expiration date, and failing to close the open items before that date typically results in a shipping hold. Teams can review interim approval criteria specific to their customer through support before relying on it as a launch strategy.
Is PPAP only required in the automotive industry?
PPAP originated in automotive under the AIAG framework, but the same underlying discipline has been adopted well beyond it, including aerospace and, in adapted forms, medical device manufacturing. Suppliers serving multiple industries often maintain a single documentation approach that satisfies automotive PPAP requirements while flexing to meet the specific expectations of other sectors. Plant teams can book a demo to see how this applies across their own product lines.
PPAP · AI-ASSISTED DOCUMENTATION
Close Your Next PPAP Without the Scramble
See how continuous data capture keeps all 18 PPAP elements ready before the deadline arrives.
