Abstract : Total Quality Management (TQM) is a major DoD initiative to instill quality practices in DoD management and processes. Concurrent Engineering (CE) is a critical component under the TQM umbrella targeting the design and acquisition efforts supporting DoD. TQM and CE, or Integrated Product Development (IPD), share some fundamental characteristics, namely, (1) management commitment, (2) continual improvement, (3) customer satisfaction, (4) teamwork, (5) focus on work processes, (6) training, (7) the recognition that people are the critical resource of an organization, and (8) the understanding that there is no blueprint for success. These shared characteristics are discussed to support the theory that IPD is TQM applied to the product design process.