Integrated Product Development and the Role of Corporate Training

This paper describes the Integrated Product Development (IPD) strategy and details its five basic elements: Strategic Commitment; Organizational Structure based on Multi-functional teams; Adequate Environment; Integrated Planning; and Simultaneous and Systematic Processes. It shows the importance of having all of these elements concurrently. It also details the role of the corporate training in the IPD context, which is to provide the necessary ability (knowledge and skill) for the team members in four different areas (technical, managerial, interpersonal and IPD characteristics), according to their role in the development cycle. Finally, this paper highlights the importance of having a training plan based on the professional profile, execution planning and results evaluation.