Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1494346
12 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2023 A little of both, really. At my company, it's not like they say, "Here's how we do things. You must follow these rules." It's more like, "You're young; here's what I know and how I do it." From there on, it's on me how I use that infor- mation. It's more of a positive way of sharing experiences and knowledge among each other. We've always had a very young and small team, so we work very closely, and we are glad to get each other's input because you can look at something for hours and not realize that there is a small mistake right in front of you. A fresh set of eyes might spot such things imme- diately. We work together to evolve as a team and adapt better processes that would help save us time and money. We have a very good culture of taking what we've already done with a grain of salt and see- ing if we can improve it. Matties: What triggers the point where you say, "I need to look at this a little further?" There are just some pro- cesses where, if it seems too complicated or time- consuming , I 'm thinking , "Could we maybe find something better than this?" I like to do my own research, regardless, so, I'm always looking for books, litera- ture, or online content of what others are doing. Is there anything else out there that would make this easier or better? It's more like my curiosity is triggered by wanting to provide the best work for my teammates and my employers. Matties: There may be a lot of, perhaps, good and bad tribal knowledge on the design side, because there are so many ways to design a board. I think it's a matter of compiling what you already know and filtering that with what you learn from different sources. Obviously, some- one who's been in the industry for 20 or 30 years has a lot more experience and is prob- ably particular about the way that they like to design a board. It's something they would share. But as you said, there are many ways to do one task, and the more you know the better, as you can use the information at your disposal in your own way. It's a matter of finding that middle ground. I love getting input, whether it's good or bad. Feedback makes us all better, and if somebody gives you advice, it's because they want you to do better. What we do with that feedback is completely up to us. Even if we don't use the advice, it can inspire us to find the best solu- tion. In the end, you just have to find the best way to move forward. Shaughnessy: It's very subjective though. It's not like you can say, "Here's a hard set of points that I can apply to determine whether something's tribal knowledge." You just get a sense that it's not right. Matties: To that point, how do you capture tribal knowledge? Is it a documented process that some- one is sharing with you, or is it just words that are coming at you and it's up to you to document them? I would say it's a combi- nation. In my company, we are, as I mentioned before, a small team, and it oen ends up being my decision; there aren't a lot of documented examples of tribal knowledge. My team relies on me to do the right thing. People will give their input or present the tribal knowledge, but ulti- mately, it's okay. You may not be the expert, but you are the person in this field and the one responsible for a specific task. You should do your own research and make the best deci- sion for the team. It is a bit subjective from that perspective. I love getting input, whether it's good or bad.