IPPD is a sufficiently different view of product development that the organization’s leadership and work force will need to develop new skills. IPPD requires integrative leadership, and interpersonal skills beyond those typically found in traditional environments where people tend to work alone or primarily interact with others from their own, or similar, functions, or disciplines. Specific skills emphasized in an IPPD environment include:
Each integrated team member needs to understand what is vital to other team members in terms of product characteristics and the descriptions, expectations, and interfaces of the processes associated with the other functions represented on the team. This understanding can often be augmented through cross training of individuals across their function or discipline boundaries.
Collaboration among integrated team members is essential to create a team product rather than a collection of independent products. Enhanced interpersonal skills can help bridge the differences between disparate functions and disciplines as well as the differences.
Leadership demands also increase under IPPD. Leadership challenges include: ensuring that all team members mutually understand their roles and responsibilities; employing people in their intended roles; and effectively accessing the depth and wealth of specific expertise resident in the organization and integrating it into the overall integrated team effort.
Provide requirements for IPPD skills for inclusion in the organization’s strategic and tactical training needs.