Title: Effective team building process and team leadership for integrated product and process development

Authors: Suren N. Dwivedi, Aravind Kumbakonam

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504, USA. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504, USA

Abstract: Technology is changing rapidly. Competition is getting hotter day by day among manufacturing circles. Quality, durability and the time taken to manufacture a product are the key words in today|s major manufacturing plants. The entire production scenario has changed; it is now focusing mainly on customer needs. There is a continuous demand for adaptation to newer conditions as product development takes place in a volatile environment. In order to sustain all these changes in the production process, there arises the need for integrated product and process development, and facilitation of IPPD practices, which is where the product development team plays a crucial role. It is through the establishment of multi disciplinary PDTs that person-person implicit knowledge sharing takes place. In this paper, we discuss the factors that need to be considered when setting up an effective product development team. The objective of this paper is to provide practical guidance in the implementation of an Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) program. Its scope includes both technical and managerial considerations necessary to launch and effectively execute a new product and process development using such a program. The information presented in this paper is based upon lessons learned at United Defense on both the AFAS ATD and AFAS Common Chassis programs, as well as published information on the US Air Force|s F-22 development program and Department of Defense (DoD) guide on IPPD.

Keywords: IPPD; product development; concurrent engineering; team building.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2002.001038

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2002 Vol.2 No.3/4, pp.415-435

Published online: 18 Aug 2003 *

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