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46 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2023 bases. One approach from a tool provider is to alert the user that they are headed into uncertain territory and direct them toward the appropriate source of knowledge for their question. Interpreting the Internet "Tribal knowledge" is not a term I'm very familiar with, maybe because it's not used so much in the UK. One internet search yielded a potentially racist and insensitive term. Other results say it's fine to use as it does not refer to any tribe in particular; it's just a concept. More than that, in a company, tribal knowledge is the lifeblood of the organi- zation. at said, it is far from easy to see whether the term has really fallen from favour or the result is simply a very vocal opinion. Much the same applies with PCB fabrication knowledge; each special- ist application needs to draw on the skills of a variety of people deeply knowledgeable in their own discipline. is knowledge is most valuable when each party knows where there is a need to draw in the skills of other disci- plines so the best engineering judgment, the best price, and yield for the specific applica- tion can be met. Communication e thread that runs through all this is open communication, both within a company and within a supplier network. Because change can happen fast, tools can't always instantly respond to every move in the market—not the least because it is hard to predict which inno- vation will succeed and which will lead into a blind alley—so avoid cramming tools with functionality for innovations that for whatever reason don't ramp up into the mainstream. Not on Paper Some knowledge is not easy to impart on paper, especially while understanding is being built on a new process or technology so that during ramp-up phases of new processes or technology the shared knowledge of the development team and the beta customers may morph and guidance may change as the new technology stabilises. Only once it's sta- bilised is it possible to document. Such is the process of development—going through iterations before a final stable process can be documented. Conclusion Informal infor- mation is like a neural network that holds a com- pany together, the optimum for keeping the company working at its best is to promote sharing of that information so that if a member moves on to new pastures, the network "heals" and recovers in the fastest possible time. Remember also to extend the network to those companies you work in part- nership with in order to deliver value to your closest asset: your customer. DESIGN007 Martyn Gaudion is managing director of Polar Instruments Ltd. To read past columns or con- tact Gaudion, click here. Additional content from Polar: • The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to… Secrets of High-Speed PCBs, Part 1 by Martyn Gaudion • The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to… Secrets of High-Speed PCBs, Part 2 by Martyn Gaudion You can also view other titles in our full I-007eBooks library. The thread that runs through all this is open communication, both within a company and within a supplier network.