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Integrated Product Support (IPS)

Jan 313 min read

As engineers, we might think we can sit back and relax once our system is in service, but not so fast! There’s another crucial aspect of engineering called ‘Through Life Support.’ Known colloquially as ‘Integrated Logistic Support’ (ILS),  now rebranded as Integrated Product Support (IPS). 


This process ensures a system is enabled and sustained throughout its operational life.


It’s easy to build a system and move on to the next project. However, it’s highly likely that the system you design and build will outlive you!


That realisation hits hard. It's not unusual for systems to have a service life of 50 years! Of course, not every subsystem or component will last 50 years, so the concept of supporting a system throughout its life is essential. Entire careers are dedicated to this field because without the right parts, or systems designed for aging and maintenance, significant challenges arise.

Let’s explore the core principles of maintaining systems through life.


What is IPS?

IPS is a cohesive and integrative set of processes and analyses aimed at developing a cost-effective support infrastructure for hardware and software programs. It identifies logistic support resources and minimizes life cycle costs across the operational life of the system.


The primary goal of an IPS engineer is to influence early-stage design decisions and develop efficient support resources that achieve a lower cost of ownership for the customer.


IPS can be broken into three core concepts across the product’s lifecycle:


  1. Design for support

    • Early-stage involvement in requirements, architecture, and design to meet criteria for reliability, maintainability, and availability.

  2. Design the support

    • Establish the intended maintenance concept. For example:

      • When should components be replaced?

      • What parts are likely to fail or break?

      • Tools such as Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) are used here.

  3. Supporting the design

    • This includes maintenance planning, facilities, training support, and resource identification.


Where Does IPS Fit in the Lifecycle?

Using the ISO15288 lifecycle, IPS is Operation and Maintenance function. However, what is often overlooked is that it begins during the development phase of the system!


For the Ministry of Defence, another lifecycle called CADMID is used. CADMID stands for:

  • CONCEPT

  • ASSESSMENT

  • DEMONSTRATION

  • MANUFACTURE

  • IN-SERVICE

  • DISPOSAL


When discussing IPS, we are explicitly referring to the IN-SERVICE stage of this lifecycle.


The Iceberg Model

We’ve all heard stories about systems purchased at a reasonable price, only to discover that maintenance costs are astronomical. This is often referred to as the Iceberg Model.


This is why we focus on the Life Cycle Cost or Total Cost of Ownership of a program rather than just the procurement cost. Understanding lifecycle costs helps:

  • With better budget planning.

  • Suppliers estimate follow-on support contracts.


Core Concepts of IPS

To understand IPS fully, we need to understand the key factors that will impact our project:

  1. Reliability – How reliable are our systems?

  2. Availability – How available will they be during their operational life?

  3. Maintainability – How can they be maintained to ensure reliability and maximize availability?


These three factors are collectively referred to as RAM or ARM, depending on the configuration.


Understanding these concepts is vital because they directly influence costs and program impact.


With these principles as the driving theory behind our system, we can consider the lower levels of IPS...


🚀 Programme Support Management 


🚀 Design Interface 


🚀 Maintenance Planning 


🚀 Support Equipment 


🚀 Training 


🚀 Training Support 


🚀 Facilities & Infrastructure 


🚀 Manpower and Personnel 


🚀 IT Systems & Continuous Software Support


🚀 Technical Data 


🚀 Supply Support & Sustaining Engineering 


🚀 Package handling, transportation & storage



Learn more from an IPS expert Jason Thomas in our SOSE Masterclass!




Final Thoughts on implementing it into your project...

IPS is a critical aspect of ensuring that systems perform as expected throughout their lifecycle. By focusing on reliability, availability, and maintainability, we can design systems that are not only efficient but also cost-effective to support over time.



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