This book defines, develops, and examines the foundations of the APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) methodology. It explains in detail the five phases, and it relates its significance to national, international, and customer specific standards. It also includes additional information on the PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), Risk, Warranty, GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing), and the role of leadership as they apply to the continual improvement process of any organization. Features Defines and explains the five stages of APQP in detail Identifies and zeroes in on the critical steps of the APQP methodology Covers the issue of risk as it is defined in the ISO 9001, IATF 16949, the pending VDA, and the OEM requirements Presents the role of leadership and management in the APQP methodology Summarizes all of the change requirements of the IATF standard