Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1525004
18 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2024 Feature Article by Cherie Litson, MIT, CID/CID+ EPTAC I recently taught a CID+ course, and if you've ever taken a CID or CID+ course, you know that we discuss cost adders quite a bit. When I asked the class of 15 design engineers their ideas on the biggest cost adders, the first and strongest response: the project manager. Are you surprised by their answer? Aer over 40 years in the industry, I wasn't. If you step back and look at the process of prod- uct development, you'll see that many decisions that affect costs down the line really do take root with the project manager. Aer reviewing my own expe- rience and that of many other designers, I referenced my favor- ite source for defining cost adders: the IPC PCBA Checklist 17. Here you'll find most of the cost adders that we all encounter to one degree or another. As you review the checklist and see who is responsible for many of the decisions, you'll find it all starts with the project leader. Hidden Cost Drivers in PCB Design Figure 1: Many of the added—or saved—costs in the PCB design process start with the project leader.