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Automotive Supplier Sales
Automotive Program Launch
High-stakes purchases and complex multi-party buying decisions across consumer and commercial segments.
Example organizations in this space:
Bosch
Magna
Aptiv
BorgWarner
This interactive experience is the shipped product itself — the same application code customers run in production, mounted read-only in your browser over a real sample journey. Not a video, not a mockup: because the demo and the product are one codebase, it can never drift from the real thing.
Inside this journey
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Program Discovery
Align on launch objectives, critical success metrics (PPAP, Cpk thresholds, GP-12), stakeholders, and primary risks to the assembly schedule.
Discovery Questions
Quick program snapshot
- Tell me which vehicle program this intake applies to and which commodity families you expect the supplier to support
- Approximately how many unique part numbers from this supplier will enter launch activities within your program window
- Name the roles who will act as the primary launch lead and the final approver for go-live on your side
- Walk me through your current target go-live window and any upstream hard dates we must not miss
- Which of the following supplier artifacts are already available to you
- How confident are you today that this supplier will hit run-at-rate on the target date
Where the schedule pressure hides
- If the supplier missed run-at-rate by two weeks, what immediate assembly line consequence would force you to pause the program
- Which part families create the largest single dependency for your assembly schedule
- Estimate the cost band you use when modeling an assembly line stoppage per minute
- Which schedule constraint on this program is least flexible from your perspective
- Which supplier tiers must confirm readiness before you will accept a run-at-rate trial
Hidden quality risks that keep you up at night
- Which defect or supplier failure would make you stop the line immediately, even if the PPAP package looks complete
- Which pieces of measurable evidence do you require before accepting a new part at production
- Select the Cpk threshold you normally require for newly released processes
- Describe your typical GP-12 containment expectations during the first 12 weeks of ramp
- Which role on your team receives the first notification when an out of spec process is detected during trials
- How long will you tolerate repeated containment actions on a part before requiring supplier corrective action escalation
Where responsibility often blurs
- Which responsibility gap between buyer, seller, and sub-tier has caused the last launch delay you experienced
- Which APQP deliverables do you expect the seller to own versus the buyer
- Which escalation path do you prefer when containment at GP-12 fails to stabilize the process
- Describe the ideal on-site coverage you want from the seller during the first week of full-rate trials
- Which evidence should be uploaded to the shared launch folder after every run-at-rate trial
The other options you are weighing
- If you decided not to use an external launch partner, which internal capability would have to exist to keep the program on schedule
- Which of these options are you actively evaluating right now
- Which conditions would make you stay with your current approach instead of changing providers
- Has an internal proposal been put forward to run launch readiness without outside partners
- Which single factor will be decisive between the alternatives you are considering
Plant and integration realities
- Which physical or systems constraint could stop us from executing on-site trials as planned
- Select the current plant access status for your internal team and external launch teams
- Which tooling items are already on site or confirmed for shipment
- Does your plant require specific IT connections for automatic quality data collection
- If automated connections are required, which owner can approve access
- Which regulatory or compliance approvals could gate our start of trials
- How much dedicated headcount can you assign to daily launch reviews
Acceptance and success metrics
- If the PPAP package passes but the measured Cpk is below your threshold, would you accept conditional approval while containment runs
- Which documents must be signed before you authorize full-rate production
- Select the GP-12 containment level you require at go-live
- Which approver roles must sign the go-live gate
- What measurement frequency do you expect for SPC during the first month of ramp
- Which trigger forces immediate escalation during week one of ramp
Decision cadence and next steps
- If a short pilot proves run-at-rate and Cpk, what remains that could stop you from signing a mutual commit this quarter
- Which meeting cadence do you prefer for active launch governance
- Select the documents you want included in the mutual commit package
- Who needs to be present from your side for mutual commit sign off
- How soon after a successful pilot would you expect mutual commit to be executed
- What single remaining decision would accelerate this to a signed mutual commit this month
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Launch Playbook Workshop
Walk through the seller's launch playbook against the buyer's program context to confirm roles, cadence, escalation paths, and expected evidence at each gate.
Solution Experience
- Launch Playbook Workshop
- Confirm the current state and its cost
- You confirm the gate checklist and acceptance criteria close the PPAP and capability gaps you described in Discovery.
- Provide three high-priority part numbers with current PPAP and run-at-rate status for pilot mapping.
- You agree to the proposed roles, daily/weekly cadence, and explicit escalation triggers for launch ramp.
- Walk through the playbook gate-by-gate using a buyer part
- Deliver a tailored gate checklist that lists required evidence, numeric acceptance criteria, named approvers, and escalation triggers for the buyer's program within three business days.
- Map roles, cadence, and escalation paths
- You accept the seller deliverable timeline for the tailored gate checklist and pilot part mapping.
- Agree on pilot launch dates for the mapped parts and confirm who will be the named approvers for go-live acceptance.
- Validate containment and run-at-rate acceptance criteria
- Forced validation, confirm this matches your need
- Launch Playbook Workshop
- Launch Playbook Workshop Deck
- Launch Playbook Solution Brief
- meeting
- slides
- document
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Launch Scope
Define APQP deliverables, plant and sub-tier responsibilities, on-site coverage, containment plans, and measurable acceptance criteria for PPAP and run-at-rate.
Scope Configuration
- Run DFMEA Workshops and Deliver Actions
- Run PFMEA Workshops and Control Inputs
- Develop Control Plan and Process Documentation
- Perform Measurement System Analysis (MSA)
- Execute Initial Process Capability Studies (Cpk)
- Conduct Production Trial Runs at Run Rate
- Deploy GP-12 Early Production Containment
- Embed On-site Launch Team at Assembly Plant
- Manage Sub-tier Supplier Readiness and Escalation
- Prepare and Submit PPAP Package
- Validate Prototype and Pre-production Builds
- Validate Packaging, Labeling and Kitting
- Operate Daily Quality and Delivery Tracking
- Transition to Steady-State SPC Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
Scope Questions
Run DFMEA Workshops and Deliver Actions
- Which part families or drawing numbers will be included in the DFMEA workshops?
- Who from your engineering or launch team will attend DFMEA sessions and approve actions?
- How many workshop sessions per part family do you expect are required to reach DFMEA closure?
- When must DFMEA actions be closed relative to the first PPAP submission date (for example, 4 weeks before PPAP)?
- Do you require traceable action tracking from DFMEA in a specific system (PLM, issue tracker, shared drive)?
Run PFMEA Workshops and Control Inputs
- Describe the primary assembly process steps (for example joining, welding, torque, sealing) that must be included in the PFMEA.
- List the critical-to-quality characteristics and their target tolerances to be used as inputs for the PFMEA.
- Identify which machines, fixtures, or operators are considered single-point failures for initial production runs and should be prioritized in the PFMEA.
- Provide existing process flow diagrams, gage plans, or FAI (first article inspection) outputs you want used during PFMEA facilitation.
- Confirm whether controls should include automated torque monitoring, vision inspection, or manual gages for each CTQ characteristic.
Develop Control Plan and Process Documentation
- Estimate the sample sizes and sampling frequency you expect in the control plan for run-at-rate studies.
- Specify which measurement methods (gage, CMM, vision) must be documented in the control plan for each CTQ.
- Are standard operating procedures and work instructions already available for the operations in scope?
- Will the control plan include SPC limits and defined alarm actions for each characteristic?
- By what date must the final control plan be locked for tooling trials?
Perform Measurement System Analysis (MSA)
- Where will MSA trials be performed (specific plant or gage room) and during which shift should they be executed?
- For which CTQs do you require a gage R&R versus a full MSA study including bias and linearity per AIAG MSA guidance?
- Per the MSA standard, what acceptable %GRR threshold do you require for production acceptance?
- Across how many operators and parts should we run the MSA to reflect production conditions?
- Using which calibrated gages, portable CMMs, or vision systems will you supply measurement equipment for MSA trials?
Execute Initial Process Capability Studies (Cpk)
- Based on initial samples, which Cpk threshold do you require for key characteristics to accept process capability?
- Assuming trial parts are produced from preproduction tooling, which part families require capability studies before PPAP submission?
- Given expected production shifts, what run lengths should be used for capability runs to represent real production (short/medium/long)?
- Within what time window after tooling build do you expect capability results to be presented to the launch team?
- During capability studies, which environmental controls (temperature, humidity) must be recorded and reported?
Conduct Production Trial Runs at Run Rate
- Against which target run rate (parts per hour or per shift) will you validate production trials?
- Indicate the acceptable maximum minutes of stoppage or downtime per hour during run-rate trials.
- State the required team coverage during trials (roles and headcount per shift) for engineering and quality support.
- What acceptance criteria will validate run-at-rate acceptance (for example Cpk threshold, uptime percentage, and minimum sample size)?
- Name critical tooling, fixtures, or robot cells that must be present and qualified before the trial begins.
Deploy GP-12 Early Production Containment
- Report which part numbers require GP-12 containment and the expected duration on the assembly line.
- Allocate who will supply containment materials and where containment inspection will be performed.
- Assign the owner responsible for daily GP-12 inspection sign-off at the plant and emergency contact details.
- What evidence will validate GP-12 containment effectiveness (for example zero escapes for X shifts, signed inspection logs, and containment gage checks)?
- Measure which containment checks and sample sizes should be completed per shift (for example 100% visual plus sampled gage checks).
Embed On-site Launch Team at Assembly Plant
- Validate which launch roles must be embedded on-site (for example quality engineer, process engineer, logistics coordinator) and the shifts covered.
- Record expected on-site duration per role and any required plant access or badge clearance lead times.
- Allocate office and tooling bench space requirements at the plant for the embedded team and note any clean-room or ESD constraints.
- Assign a single point of contact at the plant for daily launch coordination and provide their contact method.
- Approve whether remote support outside plant hours will be provided and the preferred on-call contact procedure.
Manage Sub-tier Supplier Readiness and Escalation
- Measure current sub-tier delivery reliability: what is the on-time-in-full (OTIF) rate for sub-tier parts feeding these assemblies?
- Validate which sub-tier suppliers are within approved PPAP status and which require conditional approval.
- Record lead times and available secondary sources for key sub-tier components such as connectors, fasteners, and seals.
- Indicate the contingency plans if a critical sub-tier misses a delivery during ramp (for example buffer inventory, alternate supplier, expedite freight).
- State required documentation from sub-tiers for readiness (for example PPAP elements, material certifications, process flow).
Prepare and Submit PPAP Package
- Name which PPAP level you expect to submit for each part (for example Level 3 with full supporting data).
- Outline the PPAP elements you will supply versus elements you expect the launch team to compile.
- Report the intended PPAP submission date and any customer portal or format requirements for the submission.
- Allocate who will prepare engineering change documentation linked to PPAP when parts are revised during ramp.
- What acceptance criteria or evidence will confirm PPAP approval for each part (for example signed cover sheet, Cpk reports, material certifications)?
Validate Prototype and Pre-production Builds
- Approve whether prototypes require assembly-level fit and function validation in the OEM body-in-white or only sub-assembly level checks.
- Measure which dimensional checks and functional tests will be performed on prototype builds and which test reports are required.
- Record expected deviation allowances and rework policies for pre-production builds and the process for tracking rework.
- Identify tooling or fixture differences between prototype and production that may affect validation outcomes.
- Provide the acceptance gate owner and sign-off format for prototype validation results.
Validate Packaging, Labeling and Kitting
- Specify packaging requirements such as drop test levels, ESD protection, palletization, and any OEM packaging standards to follow.
- Are custom labels, RFID tags, or barcodes required on inner packs or pallets for line-side scanning or traceability?
- Will kitting be performed at your plant, at the supplier, or by a third-party logistics provider?
- By what date must packaging validation be completed before the first scheduled shipments?
- Where should packaging test reports, label proofs, and kitting checklists be stored and who must approve them?
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Mutual Commit
Finalize commercial and operational terms, sign off on responsibilities, escalation triggers, and acceptance criteria for launch milestones.
Agreement Modules
- Master Services Agreement (MSA)
- Statement of Work — Launch Services (SOW)
- Pricing & Payment Schedule
- Launch Acceptance & Escalation Addendum
- Sub-tier Supplier Confirmation Form
- Change Order Agreement
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Deployment
Operationalize rollout with readiness checks, execution, and outcome validation.
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Pre-Deployment Readiness
Capture concrete readiness facts the launch depends on — plant access, run-at-rate dates, tooling status, sub-tier confirmations, and owners.
Pre-Deployment Questions
Environment and site access
- Is the production plant access approved for the seller's launch team? (This confirms on-site presence for tooling, trials, and containment.)
- Which plant(s) or site(s) are in scope for this launch? (List each site separately; used to create per-site readiness tasks.)
- Is on-site connectivity to the buyer's plant network and any required integration endpoints available for launch support? (So we can schedule MES/telemetry verification.)
Tooling and materials readiness
- Are all production fixtures, jigs, and dedicated tooling delivered to the plant and installed? (If not, we'll need the install date to schedule run-at-rate.)
- If tooling or fixtures are not installed, what is the expected 'installed and verified' date? (Date required to schedule trials and on-site coverage.)
- Are packaging, labeling, and handling specs confirmed with the buyer and critical sub-tiers? (Packaging affects GP-12 containment and packing trials.)
People and ownership
- Who is the named seller on-site launch owner for each plant? (Name and role — this person receives daily launch actions.)
- Who is the buyer's launch or quality approver for go/no-go decisions at each site? (Name and role required for signoff workflows.)
- Are critical sub-tier suppliers confirmed with named contacts and commitment dates for parts needed during ramp? (This confirms continuity of supply during trials.)
Timing and constraints
- What is the committed run-at-rate start date for this part at each plant? (Enter date — used to schedule production trials and on-site coverage.)
- Are there blackout windows, planned shutdowns, or restricted shifts in the 4 weeks around the run-at-rate that would limit trials or installs? (So we can plan windows.)
- If there are blackout windows or restrictions, list the exact date ranges or affected shifts. (This feeds directly to trial and coverage scheduling.)
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Configuration & Control Plan
Lock exact configuration values and control plan parameters — measurement methods, MSA plans, SPC thresholds, sampling, and packaging specs.
Configuration Details
Measurement & Gage Configuration
- Which primary measurement method will be used to verify dimensional features on production parts? (Consumed by the Control Plan — pick the single method the plant will use at run rate)
- MSA (gage R&R) acceptance criterion expressed as percent of tolerance (enter numeric percent). Default is 10 (meaning R&R ≤ 10% of tolerance). (Consumed by MSA gate in the Control Plan)
Statistical Process Control (SPC) Parameters
- Which control-chart type will the plant use for the keyed characteristics in the Control Plan? (Single select — the deployment will create chart templates from this choice)
- How will SPC control limits be derived for initial deployment? (Single select — used to preconfigure the SPC module)
- Target process capability (Cpk) to achieve before Go‑Live. Default is 1.67. Enter numeric (e.g., 1.67). (Consumed by the Go‑Live acceptance gate and capability reports)
PPAP & Run‑at‑Rate Acceptance
- Minimum run‑at‑rate trial duration to be logged (hours). Default is 8 hours. Enter numeric hours. (Consumed by the Run‑at‑Rate trial configuration)
- PPAP sample size to be captured for initial submission (number of production parts). Default is 30. Enter numeric parts. (Consumed by PPAP evidence collection)
- Required GP‑12 containment level before acceptance? (Single select — this will preconfigure containment and inspection requirements)
Packaging, Labeling & Final Acceptance
- Packaging specification document identifier to lock (enter the spec ID used by the plant, format guidance: PKG‑YYYY‑NNN or enter 'TBD' if not yet issued). (Consumed by packaging validation and labeling checks)
- Named approver role for formal Go‑Live acceptance (enter role only — e.g., 'Supplier Launch Lead / Plant', 'Buyer Launch Quality Manager'); do not enter a personal name. (Consumed by the Go‑Live approval workflow)
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Launch Reviews
Document and track daily and weekly launch review meetings, actions, containment status, and escalation records during ramp.
Launch Reviews
- Daily Launch Review (Site-level)
- Weekly Tactical Launch Review (Consolidated)
- Escalation Decision Review
- Containment Effectiveness Verification
- Launch Retrospective and Transition to Sustain
- Attach all verification data and the completed containment checklist to the nonconformance record.
- Create or update the formal escalation record with decisions, evidence, and checkpoints within 2 hours.
- Mobilize approved resources and schedule the first resolution checkpoint meeting.
- Attach required technical evidence to the escalation record for auditability.
- Review containment checklist and acceptance criteria
- A verification checklist result recorded as effective, partial, or ineffective with supporting evidence.
- Clear next steps defined for either release or continued containment with required evidence and timelines.
- Update the action tracker with containment follow-up tasks and status.
- Confirm attendance and scope for today's review
- If containment is partial or ineffective, schedule the next verification check with defined entry criteria.
- If containment is released, set up 7-day monitoring parameters and reporting cadence.
- Confirm go-live acceptance criteria and evidence
- Handover pack containing acceptance evidence, open action list, and sustain monitoring plan agreed and published.
- Top lessons learned recorded with owners and proposed timelines for process changes.
- Residual risks and any conditional actions that remain post-transition documented with owners and review dates.
- Publish the closure pack with acceptance evidence, open actions, and the sustain monitoring plan within 48 hours.
- Log the lessons learned into the program knowledge base and create improvement tickets for top items.
- Schedule the first sustain check meeting and include SPC trend targets and review criteria.
- Publish a daily scorecard with KPI values and one-line commentary for each metric.
- All open actions updated with a clear next step, owner, and due date in the action tracker.
- Containment status for each active nonconformance categorized as effective, partial, or ineffective.
- Any required escalations recorded with the escalation trigger and requested decision level.
- Update the shared daily scorecard with confirmed KPI values and one-line commentary within 2 hours of the meeting.
- Record changes to the action tracker entries, including owner and due date, and distribute the tracker link.
- Collect and attach containment evidence files to the containment record for each active event.
- Confirm weekly scope and metrics being reported
- Distribute a ratified weekly roll-up report with top risks, trend interpretation, and committed resources.
- Named owner and target completion date recorded for each agreed mitigation action, captured in the action tracker.
- Escalation log updated with any new requests and the decision timeline.
- Publish the weekly roll-up report and updated action tracker within 24 hours of the meeting.
- Schedule any required follow-up working sessions for mitigation actions that need deeper analysis.
- Notify the escalation forum with required decision documents for any escalations needing executive approval.
- State the issue and present evidence
- A documented escalation decision with the selected path, approved resources, and resolution timeline.
- Immediate containment actions confirmed and recorded with owners and due dates.
- Escalation log entry created or updated with decision evidence and next checkpoint.
- Review open actions and risk profile at transition
- Present consolidated weekly scorecard and trend analysis
- Examine verification data and test results
- Review production and quality KPIs for the last 24 hours
- Evaluate containment effectiveness and options
- Update action tracker and confirm owners and due dates
- Approve escalation path and resource commitments
- Decide containment outcome
- Detailed review top 3 risks and mitigation plans
- Capture lessons learned and process improvements
- Record decision, immediate actions, and timeline
- Assess containment status for active GP-12 or nonconformance events
- Document next steps and evidence requirements
- Finalize handover pack and sustain monitoring plan
- Review escalation log and decisions required this week
- Confirm priorities and resource commitments for next week
- Trigger and record escalations that meet criteria
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Deployment
Execute the launch plan with run-at-rate trials, production trials, on-site support, and tracked corrective actions and owners.
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Go-Live Acceptance
Gate acceptance before full-rate production: verify PPAP approval, process capability evidence, GP-12 containment readiness, packaging validation, and sub-tier confirmations with named approvers.
Checklist items
- Receive buyer-signed PPAP approval package
- Obtain buyer acceptance of process capability report
- Submit and close Measurement System Analysis (MSA) records
- Get signed GP-12 containment plan with named owners
- Complete packaging validation and approval
- Collect written sub-tier readiness confirmations
- Obtain plant EHS and operations authorization for full-rate
- Lock and sign-off final control plan and configuration values
- Execute and obtain sign-off for run-at-rate production trial
- Record escalation matrix and rollback/containment triggers with approvers
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Sustain & Continuous Improvement
Ongoing reviews to confirm steady-state production, SPC monitoring, issue resolution, and prioritized enhancements with named owners.
Success Reviews
- Go-live Health Check
- First Outcomes Measurement
- 90-Day Realization and Stabilization Review
- Monthly Operational Continuous Improvement Review
- Quarterly Strategic Continuous Improvement Prioritization
Issues & Enhancements
- Schedule the next SPC verification window and reserve measurement resources.
- Agree a prioritized list of stabilization tasks to close within the next 30 days with verification criteria.
- Identify any resource or sub-tier constraints blocking closure and itemize required escalations.
- Publish the 90-day realization dashboard with Cpk and GP-12 metrics and identified gaps.
- Issue targeted escalation requests for any unresolved sub-tier or tooling blockers.
- Confirm dates for verification builds or SPC windows to validate closures.
- Open corrective actions and aging summary
- Increase corrective action closure rate and reduce median days to close through targeted assignments.
- Detect and contain any SPC trends before they impact assembly operations.
- Agree at least one short-cycle improvement to test in the next 30 days.
- Publish the monthly corrective action aging report with owners and SLA status.
- Re-confirm launch commitments and owners
- Launch the agreed 30-day improvement experiment with defined success criteria.
- Quarterly metric trends vs Launch Scope targets
- Top improvement initiatives selected with owners and milestone dates to improve Cpk and containment performance.
- Resource plan confirmed for executing prioritized initiatives and resolving sub-tier constraints.
- Launch playbook updates identified to capture lessons learned and governance changes.
- Publish the prioritized initiative list with owners, milestones, and expected impact on Cpk or containment.
- Confirm sub-tier commitments and tooling schedules required to execute the top initiatives.
- Update the launch playbook to incorporate agreed governance and escalation improvements.
- Deployment validation completed and any critical gaps logged with owners and target dates.
- Containment actions identified for any immediate quality risks and short-term verification steps scheduled.
- Named owners confirmed for each outstanding item and next check-in date agreed.
- Publish the deployment validation checklist with confirmed owners and due dates.
- Log all early SPC alerts and assign containment tasks for each alert.
- Schedule the first measurement review and circulate data sources needed for that meeting.
- Present first outcome data vs Launch Scope targets
- All metrics under review have documented root causes and an agreed corrective action plan.
- Verification activities and target dates established to show movement toward Launch Scope targets.
- A clear owner assigned to each corrective action item and a date for the verification run-at-rate.
- Document root-cause analysis for each metric failing to meet Launch Scope targets.
- Create and publish corrective action plans with verification criteria and target dates.
- Schedule the verification run-at-rate and reserve required tooling and on-site support.
- Quarter-to-date trends vs Launch Scope targets
- Determine whether 90-day realization is on track versus Launch Scope targets and document any remaining gaps.
- SPC dashboard and Cpk trend review
- Escaped defects and containment performance
- Diagnose root causes for any shortfalls
- Deployment and tooling validation
- Improvement backlog review and impact assessment
- Early operational signals and anomalies
- Sub-tier and resource readiness for initiatives
- Impact analysis on OEM assembly operations
- Sub-tier, tooling, and packaging status
- Define corrective actions and verification steps
- Confirm timeline to stabilization
- Finalize top initiatives, owners, and milestones
- Short-cycle improvement experiments
- Open corrective actions and aging review
- Open issues, containment status, and owners
- Update launch playbook and governance
- Agree immediate remediation actions and dates
- Prioritize remaining stabilization tasks
- Assign next-month verification activities