| Summary: | The drive towards Integrated Product
Development (IPD) includes an impetus to organize
around Integrated Product Teams (IPTs). The use of
IPTs has brought with it many issues, including those
at the IPT interfaces. Program integration (crossfunctional,
upstream/downstream, customer and
supplier) can exist at several levels, within IPTs and
between IPTs. This paper focuses on the realm of IPT
interdependence and categorizes several Integrative
Mechanisms (IMs) to facilitate interteam integration.
IMs are strategies and tools for effectively coordinating
actions across IPTs within a program. This paper is
based on studies in the aerospace industry, but the
implications extend to any large, complex development
program.
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