VDA 6.3 Process Audit: P2-P7 Elements and Scoring
What Is VDA 6.3?
VDA 6.3 is the process audit standard issued by the German Association of the Automotive Industry, systematically assessing process capability from product development to series production through a question catalog. It is the most common audit requirement that German OEMs (VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, etc.) place on suppliers and is increasingly adopted by domestic OEMs. Its checks span the whole life cycle from project development and supplier management to production and after-sales service; results feed supplier grading, project sourcing and annual performance reviews - the common language of automotive supply-chain quality.
The Six Process Elements P2-P7
The tool organizes all questions per the current edition (including P1 potential analysis): P1 potential supplier analysis, P2 project management, P3 planning of product and process development, P4 realization of product and process development, P5 supplier management, P6 production process analysis (sub-elements 6.1-6.7) and P7 customer care, satisfaction and service. Each element lists the standard questions covering the full chain of project, supplier, personnel, equipment, material, process, product and customer - fill them against on-site evidence item by item without omissions or duplication.
Scoring Rules
VDA 6.3 uses the 0-4-6-8-10 five-level scoring: 10 fully compliant, 8 largely compliant with minor deviation, 6 partially compliant with clear deviation, 4 non-compliant with major deviation, 0 not implemented at all. The tool automatically calculates each element's score rate and the overall compliance rate and compares against the green/yellow/red bands (90% or more green, 80-90% yellow, below 80% red) to give a conclusion, while listing the low-scoring items as the basis for corrective priorities - audit conclusions backed by data.
How to Use It
Choose the audit type (P1 potential analysis or full P2-P7 audit), fill scores and evidence per element, and the tool aggregates the compliance rates and grades and generates a nonconformity list and corrective-action tracking table. Use it for supplier development, annual process audits and pre-audits before customer second-party audits; every audit should be led by a qualified auditor. Combine with CQI checklists for special processes and with LPA layered audits for daily checks to form a complete process-audit system.