Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1219242
16 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2020 Neves: For some of the lower-speed stuff, if we're having a soft month, we'll do that project. Today, we're pretty selective. If we do a proj- ect for a company, I tell them that I'm one of the managers, and that includes their people. If one of their engineers points fingers, usual- ly, I chew their head off publicly. I tell every- body ahead of time, "You're responsible for ev- erything. There's no, 'He didn't tell me.'" These are high-risk, difficult projects, and if you're not the SEAL Team 6 of SI, then excuse yourself from this project because you're just not good enough. For example, when we do projects with companies, we use our own layout resources; we won't use that company's resources. If they insist on us- ing their own layout, then they can find somebody else to do the work. It sounds arrogant, but if you do a bad job where you don't get the layout, it kills the momentum of the project in terms of prof- itability and scheduling. Imagine doing a big project in your house; let's say you're going to put a pool in. If they run into a big problem that stops the project, it kills the momentum, and your costs go way up. There's a hole in the ground. Your house is a mess. The contractor doesn't like it. You can't enjoy the pool. It sucks the momentum out of the project, and your risk goes through the roof. Shaughnessy: What advice would you give a de- signer or engineer about ways that they could help make the designs were more profitable? Neves: Let me put it in terms of music. When friends of John Coltrane went to visit him in New York, if they walked up to the house and didn't hear a sax playing, they knew he wasn't home. He was a master musician. "Giant Steps" is a gorgeous piece of music, but how much time did he invest in music? He practiced all of the time. Everything in life is about personal in- vestments. I've heard engineers say, "I don't get to go to DesignCon." I'll say, "What do you mean you 'don't get to go?'" They will say, "My manage- ment didn't give me permission to do that." My response is, "Did you need permission from your boss to pick your spouse, car, or house? This is your career, not your manager's career." I recommend that people tell their managers, "If you're not going to fund it, I'm going to take my vacation days and attend." For years, I paid for my own trip to DesignCon when I was a con- sulting contractor. First, it's a good thing to do because it keeps you in the game. When I lived in the Bay area, I took many Berkeley classes. It's no different from playing mu- sic. You have to stay current. If an engineer in my organization said, "I come in, do my job, and leave," they would be gone. Second, insist on good proj- ect management. Take political risks. Bet your job on that. If you get laid off, so what? That's a path. Shaughnessy: I agree. I've been laid off before. That's why I'm here. Neves: Me too. A year later, I realized it was the best thing that happened to me. Sometimes, it's worth taking risks and jumping on opportuni- ties. If an EDA company has a boot camp, go. I went to a day-long boot camp on power deliv- ery and SI. I run a company. Don't you think I have better things to do than sit in a boot camp all day? Shaughnessy: We can't place all of the blame on management or the individual when things go off the rails. Everyone has to stay on their game. Neves: Exactly. You have to keep your skills sharp, but you have to have good management if you want to stay profitable. Shaughnessy: Thank you for speaking with me. It's always a pleasure. Neves: This was a good discussion. It's been great talking to you. DESIGN007