Control plan builder

How it works

A control plan says, for each characteristic of a product or process step, what the limit is, how it is measured, how often, how it is controlled and what to do when it is out. This worksheet holds the plan as rows for the prototype, pre-launch or production phase, checks that the special characteristics are fully controlled, lists the gaps and scores the coverage.

1. Choose the phase. A control plan is written for three phases. A prototype plan describes the dimensional measurements and the material and performance tests during the build. A pre-launch plan describes them after the prototype and before full production. A production plan is the full plan for volume production. The tool asks for fewer entries in a prototype plan, and for the reaction plan and the link to the FMEA from pre-launch on.
2. List the characteristics by step. Each row is a product characteristic (what the part has) or a process characteristic (what the step does), under a process step, a machine or tool and a characteristic number. Give the specification and tolerance, the evaluation or measurement technique, the sample size and frequency, the control method and the reaction plan.
3. Mark the special characteristics. Mark each characteristic as critical, significant, none, or the customer's own symbol. A special characteristic is one the FMEA or the customer says needs extra control. It must have a measurement technique, a sample size, a frequency and a reaction plan; the tool lists any that do not.
4. Check the controls. Every row needs a characteristic, a specification, a control method and, from pre-launch on, a reaction plan. A method that relies on samples or checks at intervals (SPC, check sheet, visual inspection, first-piece approval) also needs the technique, the sample size and the frequency. Error-proofing and full automatic inspection do not. A special characteristic that relies on a visual check alone is flagged.
5. Score the coverage. Three shares are reported: the required entries that are filled, the rows with nothing missing, and the special characteristics with nothing missing. They show how complete the plan is, not how good the controls are.field coverage = filled required entries / all required entries; row coverage = rows with no gap / all rows; special coverage = special rows with no gap / special rows
6. Link to the FMEA. Each row can name the FMEA row (its id) that the control answers. From pre-launch on, a row with no link is flagged, so that every control traces to a failure mode and every high-priority failure mode traces to a control.

Sources

The methods and default figures rest on these public sources. The wording here is our own; read the source for its full text.

• Control Plan Reference Manual, first edition, Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), March 2024. The current AIAG control plan manual, which replaced the control plan part of the APQP and Control Plan second edition (2008); cited by name only, and its forms are not reproduced.
• Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Control Plan, second edition (opens in a new tab), Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), 2008. The earlier manual that defined the prototype, pre-launch and production phases; cited by name only.
• IATF 16949:2016, Automotive quality management system standard, clause 8.5.1.1 Control plan, International Automotive Task Force, October 2016. The requirement to hold a control plan for the phases of the product and to cover the controls of the FMEA outputs; cited by name, clause only.