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Quality Plan vs Control Plan

A quality plan and a control plan are both documents that describe how quality is managed, but they serve different purposes and cover different scopes.

Quality plan

A quality plan (ISO 10005) is a project-specific document that identifies which procedures, resources, and activities will be applied to a particular product, project, or contract. It is created for a specific customer or contract and references applicable procedures.

Control plan

A control plan (AIAG format, required for PPAP) documents the controls applied at each process step in volume production: the characteristic to control, the control method, sample size and frequency, reaction plan if out of control, and responsible person.

Key differences

Quality planControl plan
ScopeProject or contract lifecycleSpecific production process
StandardISO 10005AIAG APQP manual
Primary userProject manager, customer-facingProduction engineer, SPC analyst
TimingCreated at contract startCreated at PPAP / process launch

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