Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1494346
22 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2023 We've heard a lot lately about the need to identify tribal knowledge within our organiza- tions. How do you know whether an "expert" is sharing documented knowledge or it's just something they learned at their first job during the Carter administration? We asked IPC design instructor Kris Moyer to explain his process for separating the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, in design knowl- edge. As he points out, a true expert will not be afraid to cite the sources and data sets behind their arguments. Ask questions; maybe there is a reason why they "always did it this way." Barry Matties: Kris, what are the signs when you think someone is presenting tribal knowledge? When someone says to me, "is is the way I was told to do it," I say "Why?" If their only answer is, "at's the way we've always done it," I say, "Do some research and understand what the history was." It is always important to have a history of the rationale behind decisions that were made on the design so that we don't lose that knowl- edge. We may have done things a certain way at one point in history, but we must back every- thing up with rationale and quantified engi- neering data. at's the biggest problem with tribal knowledge: "is is how we've always done it. e company way is fine." If you can answer why and have a technical rationale of why it's still valid, I'm all for it. Otherwise, I will push until you sit there and give me a tech- nical rationale for why it's still necessary. Can you prove you're right? Matties: But when you're sitting in the class- room listening to a PCB design instructor, how do you validate whether that's just tribal knowledge? Do you accept that as the truth? First, is the instructor a well-respected PCB design instructor? ey should be current on their data and able to cite and show their data True Experts Can Cite Their Sources Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team