Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1494346
24 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2023 sources. e best teachers in the world love to be challenged. When a student says to me, "I came up with X, Y, and Z for that," I'm always willing to look at their data, and see if it fits. If necessary, I'll update my information. Colleges and organizations love to be challenged on their data. You name it: IPC, IEEE, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. Any organization that does engineering, data engineering, or research engineering white papers is usually more than happy to answer your questions. Matties: Oftentimes, you ask your question, and the instructor says, "I have 40 years of experience. That's the source." But that's also the danger. A great instructor will say, "Not only do I have 30 years of experience, but here's the data; here's the math that proves this. Here is the data set." en you can run your own analysis on that. Prove that it works. Nolan Johnson: It seems as if tribal knowledge could, and prob- ably does, end up in our procedures and standards. I thought, "Doesn't ISO 9000 help fix some of that?" Based on some of our other dis- cussions, the answer there may be no. You may be documenting your tribal knowledge into your processes. Isn't that right? Sure. Let's say the task is to tighten a Phillips head screw. If you were to describe this pro- cess, you'd say, "Insert the screw until it's hand tight, and then hand-tighten it with a hand screwdriver." But if you write the statement in ISO 9000, it might say, "Install the screw using a Crasman #2 Phillips head screwdriver." You would probably get specific. If the next technician comes in and uses a Stanley screwdriver instead of a Crasman, you just violated ISO 9000. ISO 9000 is just a way to docu- ment your procedure and then file the procedure that you document. So yes, you can get tribal knowledge into pro- cedures and it's up to the individual companies to determine what's critical to have in the doc- ument. Andy Shaughnessy: What's the best way to determine whether you're dealing with tribal knowledge? Step one, from a board design point of view: Read and understand the various IPC standards and specifications for all aspects of PCB design. Understand the guides for design, fabrication, and assembly, so that you see the big picture. en ask them to cite their sources. Go through that level of engi- neering analysis. If you're ever told, "I have 30 years of experience," when you ask a question, ask them to cite their data source. If you disagree with it, look for an independent third- party expert in the field. It's no different than getting a sec- ond opinion from a doctor. If you have any concerns with this data, repeat step one—understand the IPC standards; step two—ask them to cite their sources. You could even get a third opinion if you need to. Matties: Thank you, Kris. This has been great. ank you all. DESIGN007 Kris Moyer Any organization that does engineering is usually more than happy to answer your questions.