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26 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2021 doing everything, there are still underlying principles of collaboration needed to finish the project successfully. Importance of Collaboration Collaboration refers to specific individuals working together as a team in an intellectual endeavor or directly working together to per- form a particular task. During a typical PCB design process, we have multiple people working on a single design, sometimes simultaneously. It becomes rather challenging to mesh the PCB data with a specific role. If not handled correctly, data management could turn into a real problem. at is all done while you manage what each person is doing while keeping anything from falling through the cracks. ere are endless advantages to develop- ing collaboration within your team. But col- laboration needs development; it is not some- thing that just happens. Some designers tend to be islands who like to handle things on their own. Nevertheless, the growth of your team and the collaboration between team members is one of the critical ingredients of a successful company. Leveraging Your Talent Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and joining forces helps develop the overall team. As the saying goes, "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." [1] During this process, the hope is that we can learn from each other. However, what are we talking about sharpening? Abrasion is a process of wearing down through friction. When people with various personalities work together and do things differently, there is going to be friction. at tension can make us better and provide a chance to grow and learn, or it can destroy the team entirely. Developing Better Communication e key to good collaboration is commu- nicating effectively. Individuals on your team need to connect to other individuals in order to get across a certain point. Working together requires us to share ideas, which allows each of the individuals to learn new things and grow. Oen preceding a team's breakdown is the collapse of communication. ere are various reasons why communication breaks down in a team; it is essential to identify those causes and remove them as quickly as you can. Expediting Projects Time is usually a prominent driver in any PCB project. e big question for manag- ers and sales teams is "When?" Fortunately, the addition of even one designer to the team multiplies the work effort and, fortunately, the results. e real key to successful collaboration is to assure that one designer's work does not overwrite the other's efforts. at will involve using advanced tools and techniques. A good strategy is to arrange for each designer to work within certain zones or areas. For example, you can have specific people routing a section of the design and then consolidate those changes into a master design. A primary tool that I would consider a requirement on any PCB design team is the version control system (VCS) design reposi- tory such as an SVN or GIT system. When multiple people work on a single design, aer the first person commits the design back to the VCS, the others must conduct a compare and merge of the changes. But the VCS will man- age the workload and document the progress by saving a version of the PCB project at a spe- cific moment in time. Roles and PCB Data ere is a sort of symbiotic relationship between the PCB data and the roles involved. Understand these roles; it is not mainly about individuals or positions but the tasks and stages in the process. As we now all know, PCB design begins with the electronic component. Within that com-