Integrated Product Development Teams Research Articles

New integrated model to estimate the manufacturing cost and production system performance at the conceptual design stage of helicopter blade assembly

This paper describes a new integrated model development to estimate the manufacturing cost and production system performance at the conceptual design stage. A fully automated conceptual framework for design for manufacturing (DFM) has been developed. An integrated product process design concept using activity based costing is applied in this paper. The new integrated model consists of four sub-modules: the geometric parameters generation module, processing time estimation module, activity based costing (ABC) module and production system performance module. All of the input-output data flows of developed modules are fully integrated for automated manufacturing cost analysis and production system performance. A developed integrated model is very useful for designers or integrated product development team to make a decision for evaluating the design alternatives and trade-offs between design and manufacturing phases at the conceptual design stage. A case study for a composite helicopter rotor blade is included.

New Product Development: Impact of Project Characteristics and Development Practices on Performance

Concurrent product development process and integrated product development teams have emerged as the two dominant new product development (NPD) “best practices” in the literature. Yet empirical evidence of their impact on product development success remains inconclusive. This paper draws upon organizational information processing theory (OIPT) to explore how these two dominant NPD best practices and two key aspects of NPD project characteristics (i.e., project uncertainty and project complexity) directly and jointly affect the NPD performance. Contrary to the “best practice” literature, the analysis, based on 266 NPD projects from three industries (i.e., automotive, electronics, and machinery) across nine countries (i.e., Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United States), found no evidence of any direct impact of process concurrency or team integration on overall NPD performance. Instead, there is evidence of negative impact of the interaction between project uncertainty and concurrent NPD process and positive impact of the interaction between project complexity and team integration on overall NPD performance. Moreover, the study found no evidence of any direct negative impact of project uncertainty or complexity on overall NPD performance as suggested in the literature, but found evidence of a direct positive relationship between project complexity and overall NPD performance.The practical implications of these results are significant. First, neither process concurrency nor team integration should be embraced universally as best practice. Second, process concurrency should be avoided in projects with high uncertainty (i.e., when working with unfamiliar product, market, or technology). Finally, team integration should be encouraged for complex product development projects. For a simple product a loosely integrated team or a more centralized decision process may work well. However, as project complexity increases, team integration becomes essential for improved product development. There is no one‐size‐fits‐all solution for managing NPD projects. The choice of a product development practice should be determined by the project characteristics.

4.3.2 Systematic Approach to the Development, Evolution, and Effectiveness of Integrated Product Development Teams (IPDTs)

AbstractIntegrated Product Development Teams (IPDT) are a key component of any systems engineering (SE) application, but since they are formed primarily from technical considerations, many IPDTs are far less productive than they otherwise could be. By recognizing specific personality types and skill sets, a random group of “technical” individuals can be structured to become a highly effective team capable of delivering much more than the sum of its members.

Collective Ambition, Creative Chaos, Information Redundancy, and Shared Knowledge in Integrated Product Development – Case Study

The use of cross-functional teams in integrated product development (IPD) has become a common practice in industry. Despite an extant body of literature on the importance of knowledge management in cross-functional team execution, the drivers of knowledge sharing in cross-functional teams in IPD projects have not been adequately addressed. Knowledge sharing among the IPD team members help in complex problem solving and decision-making during the course of the concurrent project environment. In this article we present findings on knowledge sharing in IPD projects from our interviews with project executives from four diverse companies. Based on social cognitive and information processing theories, the current case study proposes a theoretical framework on some of the important determinants of shared knowledge. An understanding of such determinants can help managers in IPD to promote information and knowledge sharing which may lead to superior IPD project performance.

STARDUST: implementing a new manage-to-budget paradigm

STARDUST is the Discovery Program's fourth mission. It follows Lunar Prospector, Mars Pathfinder and the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission. Launched on February 7, 1999, the STARDUST flight system will collect comet samples during a 6 km/ s flyby of Comet Wild 2 on New Year's day, 2004, and return the samples to Earth in January 2006. Enroute to the comet, STARDUST will also attempt to collect samples of interstellar dust. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) provides project and mission management with Lockheed Martin Astronautics (LMA) as the industrial partner for the flight and ground systems. LMA made strong use of developments in the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and the Mars Surveyor ‘98 projects preceding STARDUST. Under the stringent cost-caps of the Discovery Program, the STARDUST development was completed on time with nearly $2M remaining reserves to reprogramming into the flight phase. The STARDUST management team aggressively worked to achieve this control through the use of total quality management (TQM) and reengineering principles, and commercially available software tools. The approach was to develop project-to-project interfaces exploiting parts stores and common procurements, shared staffing and shared facilities. Inheriting parts, hardware, software and designs leveraged dollars efficiently to accelerate the development, while staying inside a constrained budget. Additionally, to achieve the required level of time efficiency and budget control, a new level of communications and data handling (read excellent Management Information System [MIS]) is mandatory. Finessing the rigidity of traditional Performance Management (or Measurement) Systems (PMS) and institutional/corporate cultures requires a new way thinking and a cheerleader aggressiveness. STARDUST organized toward the Integrated Product Development Team (IPDT) concept as a central feature. This was matrixed into a dedicated Product Development Office (PDO) at LMA. The PDO served the leveraging goal by serving two projects, STARDUST and Mars Surveyor ‘98. It avoided duplicate project-unique personnel structures and offered cost benefits to each project. This paper provides details and example metrics characterizing the aggressive application of the design-to-cost paradigm and implementation by the STARDUST management team to achieve success under the Discovery Program budget constraints.

PRODUCT ANALYSIS AND DESIGN ENGINEEING APPROACH FOR MSC-AND PHD-STUDENTS' RESEARCH AND SELF-LEARNING COMPETENCE IN MECHATRONICS AND FLUID POWER

The paper deals with engineering education having the focus on research skills as well as experimental based project organised didactic self-learning within the area of design of mechatronic products and systems, in particular intelligent fluid power components and systems. Experiences with interactive methods for improving of MSc-and PhD-students' research and self-learning competence at the Technical University of Denmark and the Aalborg University are presented and discussed. The didactic approach has two legs:(1) Analysis and IT-modelling of products and systems from day one at the university, and (2) Synthesis with increasing project activities focusing on product development and design engineering, including testing, evaluation and validation. The objective is to educate candidates with highlevel professional engineering skills for research and integrated product development teams working within mechatronics and fluid power in order to make successful business in companies as well as at universities. Most of the projects are in cooperation with companies.

2.6.1 The Value of Adding Digital Print Technology to Existing IPDT Collaboration Systems

AbstractTimely and reliable information exchange is a hallmark of successful collaborative product development endeavors. The continuing challenge for organizations seeking to improve productivity is how to select and deploy technologies that provide the best return on their investment. This paper documents the process that LMMFC‐D (Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control ‐ Dallas) followed in selecting digital print technology to improve Integrated Product Development Teams (IPDT) performance across several programs. Cost benefit results are included.

Research and practice on concurrent engineering

The Major Key Technology Research Project “Concurrent Engineering” supported by the China National Hi-Tech R&D plan CIMS subject (863/CIMS) began in July 1995. It passed the final test in December 1997. This project was a research project with pre-determined applications background. Research and application of the research results have produced good results. A Chinese style concurrent engineering architecture and reference mode has been produced. A series of break thoughts in BPR (Business Process Reengineering) have been made with organization of the IPT (Integrated Product Development Team) and engineering support technologies. Several prototype tools were developed, including Product Development Process Modeling and Management, QFD-Based Schema Design and Decision Making, PDM-Based Concurrent Design, STEP-Based CAD/CAPP/CAM Integration, Design for Assembly, Design for Manufacturing, Computer Aided Fixture Design, and Machining Process Simulation. Finally, the research results were used in the development of two complex components in an aerospace application, and satisfactory results were obtained.

1 Exploiting Web‐Based Technology to Foster IPDT Productivity

AbstractVery few organizations are able to show a “bottom line” impact directly attributable to investments in information technology. While many reasons are postulated for this failure to produce measurable improvements, a large part of the solution appears to be getting the user involved in defining requirements, identifying cost benefits, and implementing reengineered product development processes.This approach was tried and validated for the Integrated Product Development Team (IPDT) on which it was applied. The product was a ground based weapon system. Results of the experiment exceeded expectations. Utilization of the system engineering process was an essential element in making this a successful endeavor.Described herein is the process by which IPDT perspectives were changed, the role of cost benefit analysis, results obtained, and what was learned about transforming a well‐established culture.

Scaling crucial to integrated product development of composite aerospace structrues. Part 1

I dedicate this manuscript to the memory of Ernest F. Dost, who passed away on 18 September 1995. He had numerous achievements prior to his tragic death at the young age of 34. In less than a decade, he helped solve many difficult problems supporting composite structural design, manufacturing and maintenance as an aeronautics engineer at Boeing. Ernie had a critical role on the integrated product development team that performed the work described in both parts of this article. Part 2 will highlight Ernie's important contributions to the field of composite impact, as related to structural damage tolerance.

Advanced flight computing technologies for validation by NASA's new millennium program

The New Millennium Program (NMP) consists of a series of Deep-Space and Earth Orbiting missions that are technology-driven, in contrast to the more traditional science-driven space exploration missions of the past. These flights are designed to validate technologies that will enable a new era of low-cost highly miniaturized and highly capable spacebome applications in the new millennium. In addition to the series of flight projects managed by separate flight teams, the NMP technology initiatives are managed by the following six focused technology programs: Microelectronics Systems, Autonomy, Telecommunications, Instrument Technologies and Architectures, In-Situ Instruments and Micro-electromechanical Systems, and Modular and Multifunctional Systems. Each technology program is managed as an Integrated Product Development Team (IPDT) of government, academic, and industry partners. In this paper, we will describe elements of the technology roadmap proposed by the NMP Microelectronics IPDT. Moreover, we will relate the proposed technology roadmap to existing NASA technology development programs, such as the Advanced Flight Computing (AFC) program, and the Remote Exploration and Experimentation (REE) program, which constitute part of the on-going NASA technology development pipeline. We will also describe the Microelectronics Systems technologies that have been accepted as part of the first New Millennium Deep-Space One spacecraft, which is an asteroid fly-by mission scheduled for launched in July 1998.

4.1.2 CULTURAL CHANGES AND LESSONS LEARNED IN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AT THE SPACE AND MISSILE SYSTEMS CENTER (SMC)

AbstractSubstantial changes in the acquisition and associated systems engineering cultures have occurred in recent years at the Space and Missile System Center (SMC) and The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California. Sources of these changes have mainly derived out of directives from the Department of Defense (DoD) and Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC). These changes and directives have rejuvenated practice of a structured and disciplined systems engineering approach and introduced enhanced program management practices. Such practices have evolved from a blend of cultures associated with MIL‐STD‐499b (Draft), MIL‐HDBK‐499‐3 (Draft), Integrated Product Development (IPD), and Integrated Weapon System Management (IWSM). The 499b “Engine” and IPD guidance were implemented to various stages on several SMC programs. Emphasis was on conducting System Requirements Analysis (SRA), ensuring compatibility between requirements and tasking, and working in system acquisition teams according to IPD philosophy. Lessons learned from these early years of adopting to cultural changes represent mainly favorable results; i.e., cultural changes in business (government, industry) have proven to be efficient, systems engineering methodologies applied early provide program dividends. However, program “stove piping” (i.e., inward looking IPD team) is a dominant consideration and must be reckoned with.

CASE STUDIES: APPLICATIONS OF QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT IN ACCORD WITH MILITARY STANDARD 499B

AbstractQuality function deployment is a methodology to relate what needs to be done to how to do it. The methodology is used to implement the requirements for the systems engineering process established in Military Standard 499B in conjunction with Integrated Product Development teams. Examples are presented for two divergent applications: payload design for an upper atmosphere research satellite and investment strategy design for a division's research and technology program.