What are the five APQP phases in this template?

Plan and define; product design and development; process design and development; product and process validation; and launch, feedback and corrective action. They follow the structure of the AIAG APQP reference manual, named in our own words. The phases are a Setup list, so you can rename them for another launch process, such as a medical device design-transfer plan.

How does the template forecast a task's end?

From the task's own progress at the status date. A complete task keeps its end. A started task finishes its remaining days after the status date: a 25-day task 60 percent done on 9 October has 10 days left and is forecast for 19 October. A task whose start has passed but has not started begins the day after the status date. Slip is the forecast end minus the baseline end.

Does a late task push the tasks that depend on it?

Not automatically. Each task can name one predecessor, and the Check column flags a task planned to start on or before its predecessor's forecast end, so you re-plan its start date deliberately. Pushing forecasts down a chain inside Excel would need a column that reads itself, which Excel reports as a circular reference.

How is the cost of an SOP slip estimated?

Slip in weeks x margin lost per week x the share you cannot recover + a one-off expedite cost, all set on Setup. In the example the launch sign-off is forecast 7 days after SOP: 1.0 week x 18,000 x 70 percent + 12,000 = 24,600. With the Launch Delay Cost calculator's own example of 6 weeks the answer is 87,600 in both.

Why is percent complete weighted by duration?

So a 60-day tooling task counts 60 times as much as a one-day gate review. Work complete is the sum of done days over the sum of durations, and plan is the sum of days that should be done by the status date over the same total. In the example 66.5 percent is done against a plan of 70.9 percent.

Quality Systems and Compliance

APQP Timeline Excel Template

Plan an APQP launch task by task, update progress each week, and see work complete against plan, which tasks are late against the baseline, and whether start of production still holds.

Overview

This APQP timeline is a working Excel workbook for program and launch managers, APQP leads and the quality and manufacturing engineers who deliver a new part to a customer. It ships with an example launch plan for a fictional injection moulder: 28 tasks across the five APQP phases, a mould build that finished three weeks late and a re-planned validation phase, so the dashboard and Gantt charts tell a real story the moment you open it.

Each task has a start, a duration in calendar days, the share done at the status date and the baseline end the approved plan promised. The workbook compares the work done with the work the plan expected by the status date (duration-weighted, so a 60-day task counts more than a one-day gate), forecasts each task's end from its own progress, and measures slip against the baseline. The latest forecast end of the tasks needed for start of production is compared with the customer's SOP date; a slip is turned into an estimated cost with the same formula as the Launch Delay Cost calculator: weeks late x margin lost per week x the unrecoverable share + expedite cost.

In practice, update percent complete every week, move the status date forward and work the Status and Check columns: Overdue and Below target tasks need action, and a successor that starts before its predecessor's forecast end needs re-planning. The phase Gantt and progress chart summarise the launch for a gate review; the task Gantt is the detail for the team.

What this template includes

Plan table with one row per task or deliverable: number, phase, owner, predecessor, baseline end, start, duration in days, percent complete and whether it is needed for SOP
Per task: end date, planned days to the status date, done and remaining days, a forecast end from the task's own progress, slip against the baseline in days and a status in words (Complete, Overdue, Below target, Due soon, OK)
Check column that names problems in words: a task planned to start before its predecessor's forecast end, a missing or self-referencing predecessor, a start before the plan start, progress before the start date
28 example tasks across the five APQP phases, from kickoff to lessons learned, that you can rename, delete or extend
Dashboard with KPI tiles for work complete against plan, overdue tasks, the forecast SOP slip in weeks and an estimate of what the slip costs in your currency
Three native charts: a phase Gantt, progress by phase against plan, and a full task Gantt split into done and remaining days
By-phase summary table with start, end, done and planned shares, overdue tasks and tasks later than baseline
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference (Self-check: PASS)

Suggested use case

Use it to run an APQP or new product launch plan for a customer program, to report status at gate reviews, or to show a customer and your management when start of production is really forecast and what a slip would cost.

How to use it

On Setup, type the program, customer, plan start, the customer's SOP date and the status date, then the delay-cost figures and your phase and owner lists.
On Plan, replace the example tasks with yours: phase, owner, predecessor, start, duration and whether each is needed for SOP; when the plan is approved, copy each end date into Baseline end.
Each week, update Complete (%) for every task and move the status date forward.
Act on Overdue and Below target tasks, and re-plan a task's start when Check says it starts before its predecessor ends.
Review the Dashboard at each launch meeting or gate: work complete against plan, the SOP forecast and the Gantt charts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the five APQP phases in this template?: Plan and define; product design and development; process design and development; product and process validation; and launch, feedback and corrective action. They follow the structure of the AIAG APQP reference manual, named in our own words. The phases are a Setup list, so you can rename them for another launch process, such as a medical device design-transfer plan.
How does the template forecast a task's end?: From the task's own progress at the status date. A complete task keeps its end. A started task finishes its remaining days after the status date: a 25-day task 60 percent done on 9 October has 10 days left and is forecast for 19 October. A task whose start has passed but has not started begins the day after the status date. Slip is the forecast end minus the baseline end.
Does a late task push the tasks that depend on it?: Not automatically. Each task can name one predecessor, and the Check column flags a task planned to start on or before its predecessor's forecast end, so you re-plan its start date deliberately. Pushing forecasts down a chain inside Excel would need a column that reads itself, which Excel reports as a circular reference.
How is the cost of an SOP slip estimated?: Slip in weeks x margin lost per week x the share you cannot recover + a one-off expedite cost, all set on Setup. In the example the launch sign-off is forecast 7 days after SOP: 1.0 week x 18,000 x 70 percent + 12,000 = 24,600. With the Launch Delay Cost calculator's own example of 6 weeks the answer is 87,600 in both.
Why is percent complete weighted by duration?: So a 60-day tooling task counts 60 times as much as a one-day gate review. Work complete is the sum of done days over the sum of durations, and plan is the sum of days that should be done by the status date over the same total. In the example 66.5 percent is done against a plan of 70.9 percent.