2007 Issue 2 - Raytheon

Resources
New IPDS Version
Delivers a Streamlined Process Foundation
IPDS — we love it, we hate it.
We follow its precepts (usually)
and get the desired, predictable
results that our customers expect
from our products and services.
But how rewarding (or painful)
was the journey through that
process? Or more importantly,
was the process rigorous and
flexible enough to achieve performance
excellence without
sacrificing agility and speed?
The Need for Change
There’s a fine line between maintaining
process discipline and allowing freedom to
operate unencumbered — a line that must
be held tight to achieve real business success.
On one hand, when discipline is not
maintained, processes are loosely followed
or not documented, which in turn results in
cost overruns, poor performance history,
diminished customer confidence and
reduced profit margin. On the other hand,
when the process becomes too unwieldy
and restrictive, the results can be just as
detrimental, including:
• A process that is open to many
interpretations
• Sub-processes that are not easily
understood or followed
• A process that’s difficult to navigate and
find what you need
• Redundant task descriptors that
often overlap
A New Approach
With the release of IPDS version 3.2, a
major focus has been to transform the
Integrated Product Development Process
(IPDP) into a concise, integrated common
34 2007 ISSUE 2 RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGY TODAY
process. This can be achieved by implementing
the following:
• A common, tailorable process across
all businesses describing what is required
to capture, execute and support any
program
• A focus on clarity of direction vs. verbose
narrative process descriptions
• A focus on integrating essential “whats”
from sub-processes
• A more useful set of results of IPDP
tailoring for program planning
Additionally, the Process Asset Library (PAL)
will promote more commonality while
acknowledging business preferences. The
PAL consists of common and businessunique
assets describing how IPDP tasks are
executed within programs. All assets share
a common framework and are associated
with the tasks they intend to help execute.
The Benefits
So how will version 3.2 make a difference?
The improvements will be evident in a more
streamlined, user-friendly IPDS that performs
these functions:
• Makes it easier for users to see what
needs to be done and how it fits into the
flow of a program
• Facilitates building an Integrated Master
Schedule and identifies the enablers that
implement tasks
• Allows programs to see an integrated
flow of tasks as the program progresses
• Eliminates redundancy, speeds tailoring
and supports key work products
• Makes related processes available
without cluttering the IPDP layer with
redundant content
Governance
One of the most significant changes to
complement IPDS version 3.2 is the implementation
of a new governance model. The
need for a new model was underscored by
IPDS Governance Model as of IPDS v3.2
Key Functional
Non-Engineering
Representation
Stage/Key
Function
Representation
IPDP Content
Team
Council CCBs
Engineering
Business Development
Supply Chain Management
Operations
•
•
•
Full
Representation
some specific inadequacies in the current
process. A few of these inadequacies
included lack of sufficient stakeholder
involvement on process changes, confused
responsibilities for shared content, difficulties
with maintaining configuration control,
and difficulties committing and retaining
development resources.
The new model addresses existing concerns
by keeping the IPDP and the PAL process
materials under the control of the IPDS