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20 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2021 Feature Article by Vince Mazur ALTIUM Introduction e late American educator, author, busi- nessman, and keynote speaker Stephen Cov- ey coined the phrase, "Begin with the end in mind." He said, "To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction." I recall a summer trip when a college buddy and I were on our return trek from the Havasu- pai campground area near the Grand Canyon. When we were almost to the top, we came across a solo hiker wearing jeans and carrying a camera, tripod, and a small bottle of water; he was about to make the eight-mile trek to Su- pai, Arizona. We suggested to the ill-prepared hiker to take more water, but the person chose to just continue. My friend and I looked at each other and said, "He's not going to make it." I am not sure how things worked out for that hiker, but I think you will agree that he was not pre- pared and that he certainly did not begin with the end in mind. Designers of today's complex printed circuit boards occasionally encounter setbacks due to their lack of early planning. Such consequenc- es for apathy in preparation and awareness will continue to escalate along the growth curve of complexity that the industry continues to ex- perience. In this article, I will offer a view of how de- signers can be served by a design for manufac- turing (DFM) mindset to help assure first-pass success. I will also provide a glimpse of the po- tential future of board level design along with a discussion of how the adoption of new and uncharted concepts will assist the journey of electronic product realization that lies ahead. DFM Fluency is no Longer Optional for PCB Designers First pass, high yield, cost optimized, and re- liable PCB fabrication and assembly is the tar- get objective for PCB designers. Fall short of this outcome, and the consequences can be Designing With the End in Mind—How the Meaning of DFM Will Transform in the Future