An Integrated Product Team (IPT) is a multidisciplinary group of people who are collectively responsible for delivering a defined product or process. Which of the following statements about the IPT is true?
A. The structure of IPTs solely relies on the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
B. The composition of IPTs is favorable to the formation of Agile teams.
C. IPTs are system engineering teams, not responsible for acquisitions.
D. IPTs emphasize team diversity and don’t fit classified military-based projects.
Kindly be reminded that the suggested answer is for your reference only. It doesn’t matter whether you have the right or wrong answer. What really matters is your reasoning process and justifications.
My suggested answer is B. The composition of IPTs is favorable to the formation of Agile teams.
The History of IPTs
In May 1995, consistent with the Department of Defense (DoD) efforts to implement
best commercial practices, the Secretary of Defense directed “a fundamental change in the way the Department acquires goods and services. The concepts of IPPD and Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) shall be applied throughout the acquisition process to the maximum extent practicable.” (IPPD Handbook)
WBS and SBS
IPTs are usually formed around the key products and processes associated with the program. The structure of IPTs can rely on the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) or Systems Breakdown Structure (SBS), proposed in the IEEE Std 1220-1994 on Systems Engineering. This standard proposes the use of a Systems Breakdown Structure (SBS), defined as “a hierarchy of elements and related life-cycle processes used to assign development teams, conduct technical reviews, and to partition out the assigned work and associated resource allocations to each of the tasks necessary to accomplish the objectives of the project.”
IPTs and Agile Teams
A “team” in the Agile sense is a cross-functional, multidisciplinary, self-contained, self-organized small group of people with shared accountability, typically 5 to 9, collaborating to create and deliver values to customers. (Wentz Wu)
PS. Accountability typically is unsharable. However, the Agile mindset values the whole team or treats the agile team as a whole.
“An Integrated Product Team (IPT) is a multidisciplinary group of people who are collectively responsible for delivering a defined product or process. The IPT is composed of people who plan, execute, and implement life-cycle decisions for the system being acquired. It includes empowered representatives (stakeholders) from all of the functional areas involved with the product—all who have a stake in the success of the program, such as design, manufacturing, test and evaluation (T&E), and logistics personnel, and, especially, the customer. Because the activities relative to a system’s acquisition change and evolve over its life cycle, the roles of various IPTs and IPT members evolve. When the team is dealing with an area that requires a specific expertise, the role of the member with that expertise will predominate; however, other team members’ input should be integrated into the overall life-cycle design of the product. Some teams may assemble to address a specific problem and then become inactive or even disband after accomplishing their tasks. The Boeing 777 experience supported the continuation of IPTs throughout the entire program acquisition. Having IPT members with experience on the program was a primary factor in providing continuity, reducing the program’s overall schedule, and requiring minimal program training.” (IPPD Handbook)
References
- DoD Integrated Product and Process Development Handbook (IPPD Handbook)
- Integrated product team
- Agile Teams
- Team
- What Are Agile Teams