Integrated Master Plan/Integrated Master Schedule

The Integrated Master Plan (IMP) and the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) are important program management tools in the US Department of Defense (DoD) and large International companies. The IMP/IMS process was developed by the US Air Force in early 1990, and the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) was the first program to use it. IMP/IMS provides significant assistance in the planning and scheduling of work efforts for large and complex programs. The IMP is an event-driven plan that documents the major accomplishments required to complete the work and attaches each accomplishment to an important program milestone. The IMP is further expanded to a time-based IMS to create a networked and multileveled schedule showing the detailed tasks required to accomplish the work effort previously defined in the IMP. The IMS flows directly link with the IMP and enhance it with additional levels of detail. Fig. 2.1.1 shows the relationship and key points of systems engineering with important milestones.

The IMP is a mutual agreement between customers and contractors on what defines the event-driven program. The IMP documents the key milestones, accomplishments, and performance evaluation criteria during the development, production, and modification of a product, whereas the IMS defines sequential events and important decision points to evaluate program progress and performance. Typically, the IMP is a contractual document for a large program.

The IMS lies beneath the IMP, and is built up of tasks describing the work effort required to be completed for each major milestone. The IMP/IMS process thus provides a detailed time-driven plan for program execution that helps to ensure on-time delivery dates are accomplished and tracking and status tools are used during program execution. These tools, such as Microsoft Project, identify major milestone/event progress in numerical format and show interrelationships and dependencies with arrow linkages. Fig. 2.1.2 shows the relationship between IMP and IMS.

The IMP offers program traceability by further developing and conforming with the program’s requirements: Statement of Objectives (SOO), Technical Performance Requirements (TPRs), the Contract Work Breakdown Structure (CWBS), and the Contract Statement of Work (CSOW). These requirements are based on the customer’s Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to form the basis of the IMP/IMS and cost/budget reporting.

The IMP implements a traceable and measurable program to accomplish integrated product development. It integrates the program functional activities and incorporates lower-level and suppliers’ IMPs. The IMP provides a structure for performance evaluation allowing insight into the overall effort with risk management and measurable metrics. IMP/IMS uses the methodology of decomposing events into a logical series of tasks having measurable criteria to show the achievement and quality of accomplishments. Fig. 2.1.3 shows traceability from customer requirements to design requirements.

The WBS defines the hierarchy of project tasks, subtasks, and work packages and provides traceability of tasks. Fig. 2.1.4 shows a hierarchical breakdown from the program level to the work package level.

There are seven steps in implementing IMP/IMS. The first step is to evaluate the program requirements, as depicted in Fig. 2.1.5.

The Statement of Work (SOW), Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), System Design Review List (SDRL), and Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) are the inputs to the second step, to define the program structure, as shown in Fig. 2.1.6.

The third step is to establish the program logic flow, shown in Fig. 2.1.7.

After the program logic flow is established, the program processes can then be defined by the integrated product team (IPT) in step 4, shown in Fig. 2.1.8. Integrated Product Team: The IPT is a product development team that uses a multidisciplined team approach based on the integrated, concurrent design of products and their related processes, including manufacturing and support.

Step 5 is the important task of developing the IMP, as shown in Fig. 2.1.9.

After defining the IMP, the team can establish the IMS and the resources plans, depicted in Fig. 2.1.10 as step 6.

In step 7, the team records and maintains performance measurement benchmarks, as shown in Fig. 2.1.11.

Fig. 2.1.12 shows, summarized in one figure, how to implement all seven steps of IMP/IMS.

In order to provide traceability from planning to implementation, a single numbering plan must be created. Fig. 2.1.13 shows use of a single numbering scheme for IMP and IMS.