All Workflows
Quality & Compliance

PPAP & Part Approval

Digitise the entire Part Production Approval Process — from FMEA to PSW — with zero missing submissions and full audit readiness.

60%
Faster PPAP approval
structured digital workflow
100%
Submission completeness
AI validates before review
Zero
Missing PSW records
all stored digitally
Faster audit response
instant document retrieval
Overview

Why this workflow matters

The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is a fundamental requirement for any manufacturer introducing new parts — particularly in automotive, aerospace, and medical device industries. Managed manually, PPAP submissions become a bottleneck: documents are emailed back and forth, levels are confused, approvals are verbal, and the audit trail is non-existent. When a regulatory body or customer asks for PPAP evidence, companies scramble. Proconomy digitises the full PPAP workflow — from triggering a submission to uploading Level 3 elements, SQE review, and Part Submission Warrant (PSW) sign-off — creating a permanent, searchable, and audit-ready record for every approved part.

Key Capabilities

  • PPAP Level 1–5 support with element checklists
  • Supplier portal submission with guided upload
  • AI completeness validation before SQE review
  • SQE query and response tracking
  • Digital PSW issuance and storage
  • Instant audit-ready document retrieval
Process Flow

Step-by-step: how it works

Every step is designed to eliminate manual effort, reduce errors, and give your team real-time visibility at every stage of the process.

🚨01

PPAP Trigger

A PPAP is initiated for a new part introduction, a part change, or a new supplier. The SQE defines the required PPAP level (1–5) based on customer or internal requirements.

30 minutes

What happens

  • Triggers: new part, design change, process change, new supplier, production move
  • PPAP Level 1–5 selected based on customer requirements and part risk classification
  • Part and supplier linked directly — PPAP tracked against the specific supplier-part combination
  • Required submission date established based on production start date

Roles involved

Supplier Quality EngineerProcurement Manager
📨02

Supplier Notification

The supplier is notified of the PPAP requirement through the Proconomy portal — with the specific elements required for their assigned level.

Automated

What happens

  • Supplier receives portal notification with PPAP level and required documents listed
  • Level-specific document checklist generated automatically
  • Deadline communicated clearly with escalation path if missed
  • SQE contact details provided for supplier queries

Roles involved

Supplier Quality EngineerSupplier
📁03

Document Submission

The supplier uploads all required PPAP elements through the supplier portal — Design FMEA, Control Plan, ISIR, dimensional results, and more.

5–10 days (supplier side)

What happens

  • Guided upload interface walks the supplier through each required element
  • Common PPAP elements: Design FMEA, Process FMEA, Control Plan, ISIR, Dimensional Results, Material Test Reports, Appearance Approval
  • Documents version-controlled — revisions tracked without overwriting originals
  • Partial submission allowed with outstanding items flagged

Roles involved

Supplier
🤖AI Action

AI checks for completeness of submission before notifying the SQE — preventing incomplete submissions from entering the review queue.

🔬04

SQE Review

The Supplier Quality Engineer reviews each submitted element against acceptance criteria — annotating findings and requesting clarifications directly through the platform.

2–5 days

What happens

  • SQE reviews documents with structured acceptance / reject / query decision per element
  • Comments and queries sent directly to the supplier through the portal
  • Supplier responds and re-uploads revised documents if required
  • Review history fully preserved — every query, response, and revision tracked

Roles involved

Supplier Quality Engineer
✍️05

PSW Sign-Off

Once all elements are reviewed and accepted, the SQE issues the Part Submission Warrant (PSW) — formally approving the part for production use.

< 1 hour

What happens

  • Digital PSW generated and signed within the platform
  • Approval stored with timestamp and approver identity
  • Part status updated to PPAP Approved in the parts master
  • Supplier receives automatic confirmation of PSW issuance

Roles involved

Supplier Quality Engineer
🗄️06

PPAP Archive & Audit Trail

The complete PPAP package — all submissions, reviews, queries, responses, and PSW — is permanently archived and instantly searchable.

Permanent record

What happens

  • Full PPAP package retrievable in seconds during customer or regulatory audits
  • Searchable by part number, supplier, submission date, or approval status
  • Document expiry alerts for certificates within the PPAP package
  • PPAP level, revision, and approval history tracked across part changes

Roles involved

Supplier Quality EngineerQuality Engineer
Team Roles

Who's involved in this workflow

Proconomy gives every stakeholder the right view, the right tools, and the right level of access — so no one is a bottleneck and nothing falls through the cracks.

🔬

Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE)

  • Define PPAP level and required elements
  • Review submitted documentation
  • Issue queries and track responses
  • Issue Part Submission Warrant (PSW)
📊

Procurement Manager

  • Initiate PPAP for new suppliers
  • Monitor PPAP progress against production timelines
  • Escalate late submissions
🔍

Quality Engineer

  • Support SQE review on dimensional and material results
  • Conduct initial sample inspection (ISIR)
  • Sign off appearance approval
🏢

Supplier

  • Prepare and upload all required PPAP elements
  • Respond to SQE queries
  • Submit revised documents when required
Business Impact

What your organisation gains

These are not theoretical benefits — they are outcomes that procurement teams experience within the first quarter of deploying this workflow on Proconomy.

60% faster
Approval Speed

Structured digital submission with AI completeness checking eliminates the back-and-forth cycles that drag manual PPAP approvals into months.

🛡️
Always ready
Audit Readiness

The complete PPAP package for any part is retrievable in seconds — turning a 2-day audit preparation scramble into a 30-second search.

100% validated
Completeness

AI validates every submission against the required Level element list before it enters the SQE queue — no more partially complete packages wasting review time.

🎯
Eliminated
Production Risk

Clear visibility of PPAP status vs production start date means no part ever reaches the line without an approved PSW.

Applicable industries

🚗
Automotive

IATF16949 and customer-specific PPAP requirements (GM, Ford, BMW) fully supported

✈️
Aerospace & Defense

First Article Inspection (FAI) workflow aligned with AS9100 and AS9102

🏥
Medical Devices

Design Validation and Process Validation documentation tracked within the PPAP framework

⚙️
Industrial Equipment

PPAP-light process for critical components in regulated applications

Semiconductor (OSAT)

AEC-Q100/Q200 qualification documentation and PCN-triggered re-qualification workflows

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See PPAP workflow in action

See how Proconomy transforms this workflow for your procurement team — live, with your own scenarios.