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PPAP

Overview​

PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) is Jakamo's application for running AIAG-standard part approvals with your suppliers: an 18-element document catalogue, five submission levels, and a per-element approval workflow between customer and supplier.

Access it from the Apps overview — PPAP has its own tile there. Click the tile, then Open app, or go directly to /sqm/ppaps.

The list view is split into two tabs — Sent (PPAPs where your company is the customer/buyer) and Received (PPAPs where your company is the supplier). Each row shows the PPAP number, title, part, submission level, status, completion progress, and the counterparty:

1. Creating a new PPAP​

Click + New PPAP on the Sent tab. Give it a PPAP number (or leave it blank if your company has auto-numbering enabled), a title, and choose the process:

  • AIAG 4th edition — seeds the standard 18-element catalogue. Pick a submission level (L1–L5); the level determines each element's starting disposition (Submit, Retain, or On request). Level 3 is the common default and requires all but two elements (Master Sample, Checking Aids) to be submitted.
  • Custom — starts with a blank, free-form element list instead of the AIAG catalogue.

If your company has business units enabled, you'll also choose which business unit owns the PPAP — this is required and cannot be changed later without reassigning ownership.

You can optionally start from a saved PPAP template instead of configuring the process and level manually.

2. Filling in the PPAP details​

Once created, the PPAP opens as a Draft. Fill in:

  • Parties — the supplier (searched from your Jakamo network connections) and their business unit if applicable. Responsible persons can be added on either side. Collaboration mode controls whether the supplier interacts with the PPAP directly (Shared with supplier) or whether your team manages responses on their behalf (Customer managed — useful for suppliers not yet onboarded to Jakamo).
  • Description — title, qualification reason (a configurable list, e.g. New Supplier, Engineering Change, or free-text Other), project number, and a description/notes field.
  • Part — part name, part number, revision, drawing number, material, and weight.
  • Schedule — initiated date and an optional due date.
  • Tags, additional part numbers, and linked purchase orders for cross-referencing.

The draft auto-saves as you go, and every change is recorded in the History log at the bottom of the page.

3. Elements — the 18-element checklist​

The Elements tab lists the AIAG catalogue for the chosen submission level:

  1. Design records
  2. Engineering change documents
  3. Customer engineering approval
  4. Design FMEA
  5. Process flow diagram
  6. Process FMEA
  7. Control plan
  8. Measurement system analysis (MSA)
  9. Dimensional results
  10. Material / performance test results
  11. Initial process studies
  12. Qualified laboratory documentation
  13. Appearance approval report (AAR)
  14. Sample product
  15. Master sample
  16. Checking aids
  17. Records of compliance with customer-specific requirements
  18. Part submission warrant (PSW)

For each element you can set who is responsible (Customer or Supplier) and the disposition (Submit, Retain, or On request) — use Retain all / Exclude all to adjust the two non-default elements in bulk. Elements not marked for submission are still tracked but won't block the supplier's response.

Documents for each element are attached directly on that element's row (expand it to upload), separate from the general Attachments tab described below.

4. Publishing and the supplier response​

When the draft is ready, click Publish. This locks in Version 1 and moves the PPAP to In Progress — the supplier now sees it in their Received tab (if Shared with supplier collaboration is selected) and can act on it.

Once published, the Elements tab shows a live status pill per element (e.g. Open) alongside the responsible party and disposition:

On the supplier's side: the supplier opens the PPAP from their Received tab, uploads the requested documents against each element, and submits a chosen subset of elements in one action — they don't have to complete every element before submitting what's ready. Your team then reviews each submitted element and marks it Approved, Interim Approved, or Rejected. Rejected elements go back to the supplier for resubmission.

Editing after publishing: the buyer can click Edit (open draft) to make changes, which opens a new working version without disturbing the supplier's view of the currently published one — the supplier always sees the latest published version, not your in-progress edits.

When every required element has been approved, mark the PPAP Complete using the button in the top-right corner. You can also Copy an existing PPAP to start a similar one quickly, or Reopen a completed PPAP if a new part revision needs re-qualification.

5. Attachments and discussion​

Two tabs handle general (not element-specific) collaboration:

  • Attachments — general supporting files for the PPAP as a whole. Element-specific documents belong on the Elements tab instead.
  • Discussion — a running thread visible to both customer and supplier, useful for questions, timeline changes, or context that doesn't belong on a specific element.

6. Internal collaboration​

If your company is on a premium or enterprise plan, the Internal tab gives you a private files and discussion thread visible only to people at your own company — for example, coordinating internally before responding to the supplier, without that conversation leaking into the shared view.

This mirrors the pattern used elsewhere in Jakamo (see Internal discussion in Engineering Changes and other apps) — internal content is always clearly marked so nobody mistakes it for something the supplier can see.

7. Settings: templates & numbering​

Under Settings (visible to company admins), configure company-wide PPAP behavior:

  • Qualification reasons — the dropdown options offered when creating a PPAP (name + explainer text). The free-text Other option is always available in addition.
  • Element templates — standard instructions or expected documents shown to suppliers for a given element key, applied across every PPAP regardless of that PPAP's own disposition settings.
  • PPAP templates — save any PPAP (draft or published) as a reusable template via Save as template; new PPAPs can then be created directly from it, inheriting the process, level, elements, and (for supplier-specific templates) the counterparty.
  • PPAP numbering — turn on auto-generated PPAP numbers so users don't have to invent a numbering scheme by hand.

Where did the old PPAP process in Engineering Changes go?

Earlier Jakamo releases ran PPAP as a manual template inside the Engineering Changes app, using generic tasks and task lists. This dedicated PPAP app replaces that workaround with a purpose-built AIAG element catalogue, per-element review, and structured supplier collaboration — no manual task setup required. Existing Engineering Changes with PPAP-style tasks are not migrated automatically; new PPAP qualifications should be created here going forward.

Help & Support

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