IPD Study Notes: How to Create Project Plans Using IPD Methodology

The IPD (Integrated Product Development) concept stems from the PACE theory of the U.S. PRTM company; after IBM’s adoption it has become a systematic engineering approach that includes a complete set of ideas, models, and tools for enterprise product development.

IPD divides product development into six stages—concept, plan, develop, verify, release, and lifecycle—each with clearly defined decision‑review points. These review points are business‑focused, evaluating market positioning and profitability rather than pure technical issues, and a project can only advance to the next gate after satisfying the prescribed work criteria.

Three common methods for drafting the project plan are introduced:

Gantt Chart : also called a bar chart, it has been used since the early 20th century to schedule activities and track progress.

Milestone Method : milestones mark the completion of major deliverables. An example contrasts two scenarios: a programmer given a week to code a module works loosely for three days, rushes the last two, and ends up with errors that require weekend rework; versus a Monday kickoff where requirements are listed and reviewed with business staff, allowing early detection of mistakes.

Network Diagram : depicts inter‑related activities, showing the order, dependencies, responsibilities, and the impact of individual errors on the overall project.

The article then presents a detailed project‑plan template, illustrated with images:

1. Project Information : name, client, project manager, sponsor, etc.

2. Project Overview : problem to solve, tasks, objectives, and adopted management methods.

3. Key Success Factors : documentation, team alignment, client relationship management.

4. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) : outcome‑oriented decomposition of work scope.

5. Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) : defines communication channels, roles, responsibilities, and authority.

6. Cost/Benefit Analysis : financial information for economic decision‑making.

7. Resource Plan : describes required resources for execution.

8. Project Schedule : a Gantt‑style timeline showing start dates, milestone events, activity durations, and logical relationships.

9. Risk Management Plan : lists potential risks, severity, and mitigation actions.

10. Procurement Plan : specifies external products or services needed.

11. Quality Plan : assigns quality responsibilities, procedures, and inspection measures.

12. Communication Plan : defines stakeholder information needs, timing, and delivery methods.

13. Configuration Management Plan : controls change management, document versions, and design modifications.

14. Project Cost Estimate : overall budget, cost estimates, and additional resource requirements.