1. What are they?
IPTs are the organizational structure resulting from Integrated Product Development (IPD) implementation. IPT membership is made up of multi-functional stakeholders working together with a product-oriented focus. This team is empowered to make critical life cycle decisions for the weapon system. Because the product and system development activities change and evolve over its life, team membership and leadership will likewise evolve. While marketing personnel, acquisition planners, project managers and design engineers may be the most prominent members early in the life cycle, provisioners and item managers gain a bigger voice during engineering and manufacturing development. Equipment specialists and mechanics may be the lead members during the operations and maintenance phase, with the design engineers returning once again if a major modification is needed.
2. Why are they important?
IPT's are what make Integrated Product Development (IPD) work. They are created for the express purpose of delivering a product or managing aprocess for their customer(s). Implementation of IPD represents a transition from a functional stovepipe focus to a customer product focus. Teamwork within the framework of IPD drives the functional and product disciplines into a mutually reinforcing relationship which helps remove barriers to the IPT success..
3. When are they used?
IPT's are applied at various levels ranging from the overall structure of an organization to informal groups functioning across existing units. The purpose of an IPT is to bring together all the functions that have a stake in the performance of a product/process and concurrently make integrated decisions affecting that product or process. The teams can be created, formed, and their talents applied at all levels of the organization ranging from the overall structure of the organization to ad hoc teams that address specific problems.
4. What are the key characteristics?