Integrated Product Teams (IPT)

IPT (or cross functional teams) are made up of multi-functional stakeholders that collaborate with a product-oriented focus. IPT is an evolution of Concurrent Engineering. IPT is an evolving form of collaboration. Product development activities change and evolve over its life, team composition and leadership will evolve likewise. 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.