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DEBUNKING ENGINEERING MYTHS

by Robert Kondner

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One detail often overlooked in the field of product development is that engineering and engineering management are two different tasks. Although most engineering tasks can usually be reduced to black-and-white questions of volts, amps, and seconds, engineering management questions often hover in a gray cloud of compromise. A well-managed project identifies and resolves the gray areas as early as possible and understands the consequences of doing so.

Feeding this gray area and slowing the process of making decisions that affect a productęs design is an array of well-heeled vendors of components, tools, and services. How many salespeople want to talk to the VPs of engineering (affectionately known as "decision makers") instead of an engineer? Why? It is an attempt to help shape how those gray clouds contract into hard decisions that directly affect the generation of purchase orders.

Unfortunately, years of consistent bugle calls from numerous vendors have made their way into project management logic. The purpose of this article is to expose the fallacies in some of these areas.

MARKET WINDOW/PRODUCT LIFE

If you could save all the time to market that most FPGA vendors claim, then simply switching vendors two or three times during the course of a project would have your FPGA logic finished before you started! Obviously this doesn't work. The middle of a project is no time to switch tools and still remain on schedule. But, a schedule is required for a successful project, and there definitely are decision points and drop-dead dates.

Consider the real constraints of your project when selecting tools and components, and the major learning curves associated with using these new tools and parts. The safest approach is likely to be the same approach used in your last project. New technology is great, but be prepared to take some lumps during the learning process.

Not all engineered electronic technology fades away within six months of the design start. Most firms have a number of ancient designs using 6502 and Z80 processors or something similar. Although these older designs lack some of the features or speed of newer devices, the technology in this design is often the starting point for the next model. Technology incorporated in a design often outlives the product, and the technology developed is often the lifeblood of the organization. If quality technology is desired by management, both time and money must be allocated to its development.

Engineering management does the organization a great disservice if, in the drive to get a new product out the door, long-term migration is not considered. It is expensive to restart a finished project or to add legs and brains that were once considered bells and whistles. The old phrase "Do it right the first time" has to win out over "Keep it simple."

These technology development issues are not questions to be asked as you hit the data books (or Internet) looking for implementation details. A successful project will consider these up front with the knowledge that the developed technology will probably have a significant life. If management cannot deal with these issues, itęs time to change management.

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