Key words: Concurrent engineering, ICT, Product Lifecycle Management platforms, cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The dissertation studies the role of Information and Communication Technology in organising information sharing within cross-disciplinary organisational settings. The investigation is structured around the blueprinting process of a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, which is a collective exercise taking place when industrial companies engage in the acquisition of standard software to address their business challenges. The contribution based on case studies about two firms in the defence and biotechnology sectors, highlights how the use of novel ICT platforms transforms the way specialised engineering disciplines build a shared representation of the emerging industrial product throughout long and relatively uncertain development processes.