Original Date: 05/08/1995
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA)-St. Louis combined the Continuous Acquisition and Lifecycle Support (CALS) goal and Contractor Integrated Technical Information Service (CITIS) capability into a single environment which supports the effective execution of Integrated Product Development. This is accomplished through immediate availability of high quality information and real-time collaboration in the Integrated Product Development work process. MDA integrated the CALS goal of enabling effective generation, management, and exchange of digital data in support of weapon systems, and the CITIS capability of providing electronic access to and/or delivery of contractual requirements to users to provide a mission for the Integrated Product Development/CALS environment. That mission is to support electronic and real-time collaboration of the right information to the right personnel at the right time and in the right form, thereby creating a true concurrent engineering environment.

The charter from the MDA-St. Louis perspective is to provide capabilities to manage program information with controlled access and delivery internally and for customers, subcontractors, and suppliers in compliance with the electronic commerce standards. The goal is to continue to implement an Integrated Product Development/ CALS environment within the 1995-1997 time frame. This includes significant Integrated Product Development performance improvements through timely provisioning of digital information, electronic interaction with customers and suppliers, and immediate access by teams and management to required information. The collaborative creation and use of electronic documents constitute the key factor. The need for a robust location, with retrieval and packaging of data through a common user interface is a critical element of the Integrated Product Development/CALS environment.

MDA-St. Louis has a structured approach to the implementation of Integrated Product Development/CALS. It has a Strategic Plan, first issued in February 1994 and updated annually to define implementation priorities. The strategic plan outlines drivers, vision, elements of the environment, and the business focus. A three-year tactical plan is also created for 1995-1997 and is program/product-focused with deliverables, milestones, tasks, and resources.

A significant objective of Integrated Product Development/CALS is the culture change it requires for its successful execution because the implementation of an Integrated Product Development/CALS environment supports the virtual enterprise. Although company elements are physically dispersed, they are electronically connected. Digital information is readily available to authorized personnel and can be easily shared and exchanged.

MDA-St. Louis has seen significant benefits through the use of the CALS/Integrated Product Definition (IPD) environment such as enhanced affordability through first-time quality and reduced cycle times. The F/A-18 E/F automated data transfer with Northrop (Figure 2-18) achieved a savings of 90% labor and 98% cycle time. Real- time design reviews were conducted electronically, achieving a savings of 90% in time and eliminating all travel. A total of cost savings of 98% was achieved by MDA and suppliers using the CITIS node.

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