Concurrent Teams

urr en t
Co nc
Tea m s
IGDS Concurrent Engineering Module, 25 th February 2003

Duncan G re enm a n
lo pm e nt M a nag e r, Airbus UK
lity Deve
Engineering Capabi
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Concurrent Teams

What are “concurrent teams?”

What elements should they contain?

Should all disciplines be involved?

What type of people do we need?

Do different levels of teams need different

disciplines and/or types of people?

for example …….

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Concurrent Teams

Human Resources, Engineering Resource Development

Planning and Control

Research and Technology, Engineering Processes & Methods

Systems

Design / Structures
Support
Future Flight in service
Projects Physics Production

Manufacturing Engineering

Procurement / Supply Chain Management

Product Integrity

Project First Entry into Out of

Inception Flight Service Service

FUNCTIONAL INVOLVEMENT THROUGH PRODUCT LIFE

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Concurrent Teams

Some Issues ……..

 How are team members chosen?

 How are teams formed or disbanded?
 Are internal team dynamics important?
 How do we deal with multi-layered matrix management?
 How do teams accommodate individual accountabilities
and responsibilities?
 Do modern electronic forms of communication make
co-located teams obsolete?
 What skills do today’s engineers need?
 What are today’s “scarce” skills?

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Concurrent Teams

How are team members chosen?

Why do you want a particular person in your team?

 A close friend ?  Too challenging ?

 Someone you admire ?  Too aggressive ?
 Good technical skills ?  Not a team player ?
 Good people skills ?  Too “tech-ie” and sad ?
 Makes decisions quickly ?  Too new to the company ?
 Experienced ?  Female / Male ?
 Female / Male ?  Too senior for available role ?
 Easy to boss around ?  Friend of the boss ?

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Concurrent Teams
How are team members chosen?
Why do you want a particular person in your team?

Source - Meredith Belbin

Team Roles At Work, 1993

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Concurrent Teams
How are teams formed (and disbanded)?
 Do they just join the team when they are available?
 Are they the people you want or are they the ones that
are available?
 How do you get the person you really want, but who is
being under-used in another role?

 Do you have a formal team launch event?

 Do you invite your customer?
 Do you invite your suppliers?
 How do you find out if your suppliers can actually do the job?

 Do you hang on to good people “just in case”?

 Do you hold a celebration event on disbanding?

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Concurrent Teams
Are internal team dynamics important?
Belbin - Team Roles

Source - Meredith Belbin

Team Roles At Work, 1993

IGDS Concurrent Engineering Module, 25th February 2003

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Concurrent Teams
Are internal team dynamics important?
Belbin – Styles of Leadership

Source - Meredith Belbin

Team Roles At Work, 1993

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Concurrent Teams
Are internal team dynamics important?
Margerison and McCann

The Team
Management Wheel

Source – Margerison & McCann

Team Management, 1990

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Concurrent Teams
How do we cope with multi-layer matrix
management ?

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Concurrent Teams
How do we cope with multi-layer matrix
management ? Management and integration

A380 oriented teams

Design & Build oriented teams

ACMT Landing
Wing
Aircraft Component Gear
Management Team

CMIT Ailerons Equipped Wing Slats/

Component Management Spoilers Wing box Flaps
Integration Team

IDBTs Fixed Leading Fixed Trailing

Midbox
Stage 1
Integration Design Edge Edge and 2
& Build Teams

CDBTs Inboard Outboard

Component Design Mid FLE J-Nose Bathtub Ribs
Covers Covers
& Build Teams

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Concurrent Teams
How do teams accommodate individual
accountabilities and responsibilities?

To be successful, each team should have :

• A clear set of objectives and timescales.

• A single person accountable for the team’s deliverables.
• A person who takes responsibility for resource issues.
• A person who takes responsibility for project management.
• Some innovative team members.
• Appropriate technical experts.
• People who are simply “workers” – probably the majority.
• Good visibility of their suppliers and customers.
• Mutual tolerance and respect.
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Concurrent Teams
Do modern forms of communication make
teams obsolete?

Electronic data vaults - Single source of the latest data.

Enables dispersed working.
Permits “follow the sun” working.
……. But …… makes quality and task management more difficult
and is no use when “the system goes down”.

Electronic mail - No time restrictions on communications.

Copy can be stored in paperless form.

……. But …… product liability dangers; relies on good common

language writing skills; useless if “the system is down”.

People still need to meet and to see for themselves.

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Concurrent Teams
What (skills) do today’s engineers need?

 High level technical skills.

 For some, leadership skills.
 Good business understanding.
 Good interpersonal and team working skills.
 The ability to think innovatively.
 The ability to challenge.
 Speak at least one other modern language.
 The desire to develop themselves.
 Adaptability, and …………..

 A sense of humour. A sort of

“Concurrent People”
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Concurrent Teams
What (skills) are “scarce” today?

 High level technical skills.

 For some, leadership skills.
 Good business understanding.
 Good interpersonal and team working skills.
 The ability to think innovatively.
 The ability to challenge.
 Speak at least one other modern language.
 The desire to develop themselves.
 Adaptability, and …………..

 A sense of humour.

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Concurrent Teams
Is knowledge management important?

No … in Airbus, it’s critical !!

 Being world leaders, we can rarely recruit the skills we
need, we have to develop our existing staff ourselves.

 With a product life cycle that can be 70 years, we have

to maintain all the skills to support our legacy aircraft.

 We need to manage the exit of our staff, to ensure we

minimise the loss of skill, experience, etc. through
coaching our younger and/or less experienced staff.

 Where possible, electronic knowledge management of

processes is used.

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Concurrent Teams

Concurrent People

Concurrent Teams

Concurrent Engineering

IGDS Concurrent Engineering Module, 25th February 2003

 Concurrent Teams

AIRBUS
IGDS Concurrent Engineering Module, 25th February 2003