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UNCC ECGR 4101 - Engineering disasters

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Engineering DisastersSlide 2Slide 3Typical Engineering DepartmentOther Important PartsWhy projects failWhat can go wrong - The Endless Revision CycleSlide 8Slide 9What can go wrong - Project is doomed at the startSlide 11Slide 12Slide 13What can go wrong - Improper use of consultantsWhat can go wrong Great design, but can’t be producedSlide 16Slide 17Engineering Disasters What you can do:Slide 19Slide 21Slide 22Engineering Disasters •How projects fail, why they fail and how to prevent failure.•All in one easy lecture!•DuRant Lewis, Atmel CorporationEngineering Disasters •A Night at the Whitney!Engineering Disasters •To Understand why engineering projects fail, one must first take a look at the structure of the typical engineering department. So let’s take a look:Typical Engineering Department E n g i n e e r i n gT e c h n i c i a nH WE n g i n e e rS e n i o r H WE n g i n e e rS WE n g i n e e rS e n i o r S WE n g i n e e rP C B L a y o u tT e c h n i c i a nC A DD r a f t s m a nM e c h a n i c a lE n g i n e e rE n g i n e r i n g T e a mL e a d e rP r o j e c t E n g i n e e rP r o j e c t M a n a g e rH a n d l e s C u s t o m e rI n t e r f a c eV P E n g i n e e r i n g" C h i e f E n g i n e e r "V P M a r k e t i n gP r e s i d e n tOther Important Parts C o m p o n e n t E n g i n e e r i n gP a r t n u m b e r s / S C D ' sE n d - o f - L i f e I s s u e sF i e l d S e r v i c e sC o m p l i a n c e E n g i n e e r i n gF D A / F C C / F A A / U L /P r o d u c t i o n E n g i n e e r i n gT r a n s i t i o n t o P r o d u c t i o n iWhy projects fail •Projects fail for four principal reasons:–Cost–performance–schedule–catastrophic failureWhat can go wrong - The Endless Revision Cycle •A design is flawed, so it’s re-spun. Some original problems are fixed, but the changes cause new problems. So it’s re-spun, and the same thing happens.•The product never seems to get completely fixed.What can go wrong - The Endless Revision Cycle •This cycle is hard to break - so it’s best to prevent it. –Simulate circuit behavior - spot problems before the design is fabricated.–Control revisions, keep a revision history and have a release process.–Do design reviews. Peer review helps.What can go wrong - The Endless Revision Cycle –Piece-wise test as much of the design as possible, with both simulation and HW emulation. –Use a portion of existing designs known to work - don’t re-invent everything on one project. –Do design reviews. Again, peer review helps.What can go wrong - Project is doomed at the start •Many projects are doomed before they start due to poor planning, improper resources, or a poor specification. –If key assets are missing, like a senior engineer, the project might not be spec’ed correctly.–Proper design tools and test equipment are missing•Good tools save engineering time, and are worth the cost.What can go wrong - Project is doomed at the start •Tools - Continued–The cost of “free” tools is the time it takes to get it to work. •Support is important In the case of a commercial tools vendor, they offer software updates. In the case of an open source tool, it’s a posting on a bulletin board.•A full set of tools [IDE,compiler, RTOS, TCP/IP stack for an ARM design costs 30k. But how fast can you burn this in engineering time?What can go wrong - Project is doomed at the start •Tools - Continued part II–If the company does not purchase the proper simulation tools (thermal, electrical, structural), then ….•Engineers guess when they design, and they tend to guess conservatively, increasing cost.•The system might fail because a design flaw is not detected, then more spins as they design by trial and error.What can go wrong - Project is doomed at the start •Poor specifications can doom a project –If you work with other companies, they must work to a clear performance specification•The Rockwell B1B example.–Be clear about the specifications going in - Don’t introduce late-breaking features into a product late in the development cycle. The cost will skyrocket, and performance could suffer.–Not enough testing.What can go wrong - Improper use of consultants •There is a time to use consultants, but keep the “Tribal Knowledge” in house. –There is a time to use them - work load issues or areas where a company does not have any expertise.•In an ideal situation, do the first couple of projects with a consultant, then transfer it it-house.– Don’t use consultants to the point that the company cannot exist without them - ongoing support and product updates can be a problem.What can go wrong Great design, but can’t be produced •Always design for production. The best design ever is no good if it can’t be produced–Involve Manufacturing in the design and prototype process•Manufacturing will tell you what’s wrong, but you have to ask.•This is more important now with remote manufacturing.What can go wrong Great design, but can’t be produced –Make the assembly as easy as possible•Streamline jumpering and configuration–SCSI panel example.•Allow relief's around mounting holes to clear tools•Hide or shield battery nodes.•Use self-calibration techniques.– Work with compliance engineers to help with FDA, FCC and UL•Source suppression of EMI is much cheaper than shielding after the fact.•UL power supply compliance is best built in.What can go wrong Great design, but can’t be produced –Examples:•GM-10 vs. Ford Taurus (1989)–44 hours assembly vs.24 hours. GM lost $900.00 on each car.•Airflow sensor example–Can’t be calibrated.•German Tiger vs. American Sherman.–100,000 hours to build a Tiger, it’s no wonder Germany produced a little over 1,200 Tiger II tanks–America make about 90,000 Shermans.Engineering DisastersWhat you can do: •At the worker bee level, there are many factors that are out of your control. But some you can affect.– Know the Schedule.•Engineers who are aware of the deadlines will work to meet them–Have a backup plan in case something does not work out. - Alternative vendor, consultant, etcEngineering DisastersWhat you can do: – Design within the specifications.•Many designs just happen to work, like FPGA designs that are not constrained, …


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