Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1494346
36 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2023 In my company, we have reorganized our department into smaller vertical teams that focus on different areas of the business. Not only has this helped our overall department efficiency, but the smaller team structures have opened communication between co-workers, which fosters the development of new pro- cesses and procedures. One example is how the teams have initiated cross-functional train- ing to better support each other in overload situations. Instead of allowing work to pile up when the one person trained to do that job is unavailable, the work can now be spread around; this prevents a bottleneck. By freeing up our teams to take the initiative, they iden- tified areas that have improved the workflow and increased our productivity. So, is tribal knowledge good or bad? I would say it's a little of both. e best approach is to find the parts of tribal knowledge that are most useful, then harvest and manage them for the benefit of the entire corporation. What do you think? Until next time, everyone, keep on design- ing. DESIGN007 Tim Haag writes technical, thought-leadership content for First Page Sage on his longtime career as a PCB designer and EDA technologist. To read past columns, click here. Electrical engineers work in various industries and the skills required also vary. These skills can range from basic circuit theory to those required to be a project manager. The tools and equipment that an electrical engineer may need are also variable, and can range from a straightforward voltmeter to a top end analyzer to advanced design and manufac- turing software. Electrical engineering specifically deals with electricity, electro-magnetism and electronics. It also covers power, control systems, telecommuni- cations, and signal processing. An electrical engineer applies the physics and mathematics of electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics to design and develop new elec- trical equipment and systems, to solve prob- lems, and to test equipment. Electrical engineers can work on vari- ous projects, from designing household appliances to designing large-scale electri- cal telecommunication systems, electrical power stations, and satellite communica- tions systems. More and more, electrical engineers are relying on computer-aided design (CAD) systems for the creation of schematics and to lay out circuits, and they use computers to simulate how electrical devices and systems will function. Interested in joining the electronics industry? We have over 50 career paths for you to explore! Whether you are interested in design, soldering, robots, chemistry, machinery, or computers, we have a path for you! Learn more at: Careers in Electronics What Do Electrical Engineers Do?