How to Audit AS9145/APQP/PPAP

Course Description

Auditing to AS9145 requires more than a checklist—it demands a working fluency in product development risk, timing, and cross-functional intent. This intensive one-day workshop is designed specifically for first-party and second-party auditors responsible for evaluating conformance to AS9145: Advanced Product Quality Planning and Production Part Approval Process within aerospace and defense supply chains.

This training is structured around high-impact scenario analysis. Participants will audit simulated project situations drawn directly from real-world industry challenges, ensuring the experience is practical, relatable, and rooted in actual APQP/PPAP deployment issues. Rather than simply reviewing documents, participants will learn how to identify systemic risk, uncover critical breakdowns, and assess whether APQP activities were performed with both compliance and intent in mind.

By the end of the course, participants will be equipped not only to assess conformance but to ask the right questions, challenge the right assumptions, and recognize when APQP is a paper exercise versus a performance-driven process.

Certification

Participation in group activities during the class and attendance throughout the duration of the course allows the participant to collect a Plexus International Certificate of Completion.

Course Details

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Learning Objectives

• Interpret the key elements and intent of AS9145 within the context of an audit.
• Assess the effectiveness of APQP deployment using scenario-based case studies.
• Identify and evaluate the linkage between project management, risk mitigation, and PPAP readiness.
• Distinguish between compliance-driven documentation and value-driven implementation.
• Conduct interviews and document reviews that surface systemic issues, not just isolated findings.
• Report audit outcomes in a way that drives organizational learning and process improvement

Who Should Attend

• Internal (first-party) auditors within aerospace organizations or suppliers.
• Second-party auditors conducting supplier audits or oversight assessments.
• Quality professionals responsible for auditing product development lifecycle processes.
• Program and quality managers who want to better understand how AS9145 is assessed.
• Anyone seeking to elevate their auditing beyond simple conformance to strategic insight

Agenda

• Introduction to AS9145 in the Audit Context
  • Role of APQP/PPAP in aerospace
  • Differences between compliance and effectiveness audits
• Auditor Mindset for AS9145
  • Understanding the standard’s intent
  • What makes APQP successful or fail
• Scenario 1: Planning Phase Audit
  • Reviewing program kickoff and cross-functional input
  • Identifying early-stage risks and ownership gaps
• Scenario 2: Product and Process Design
  • Auditing design FMEA, control plans, and design reviews
  • Spotting missing functional collaboration
• Scenario 3: Process Validation and PPAP
  • Assessing readiness for PPAP
  • Identifying disjointed verification strategies
• Reporting and Communicating Audit Outcomes