Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1535183
need to define a product with a shelf life of a half-century and must be manufactured the same way for 50 years, you need a different level of documentation than a consumer good that will be obsolete in 18 months. Understanding your market segment, what is required of it, and the reliability goal all go back to IPC per- formance classifications. Is your product a Class 1 consumer good, like a "swag" giveaway at a trade show that just needs to work, or is it military, aerospace, or medical, where it has to work right the first time, every time? Understanding your product and market is key to properly applying the documentation standards, so you know the level of documen- tation completeness you need. e IPC-2610 series is available for schematics and fabrication drawings. e definitions say that, for instance, if you're in completeness mode 1, it's an engi- neering concept equivalent to a Class 1 type of device. It says, "Here's the minimal set of infor- mation that you need to provide." at's Class 1 vs. Class 3 completeness, full production, and high reliability, and there's a much broader set of information you need to provide. If you're designing something that goes into space, or a pacemaker, you'll want to provide a lot more detailed drawings than if you're designing a trade show name badge. Exactly. at's the point about the market seg- ments. A blinking name badge for a trade show only has to work for the week while you're at the trade show. But if I'm designing a board for a sat- ellite that will be in orbit for 20 years, and it can't be easily repaired, reworked, or even tested, monitored, or serviced, then I have to do a com- pletely different, more robust level of documen- tation, with more critical information. A pace- maker, which is Class 3, has to work the first time, every time, vs. Class 2, which says uninterrupted service is desirable, but not critical. Standards don't tell you everything, but they provide a path toward your ideal data package. Right. Just because the standards have a good definition of what information should be in your package, how do we properly convey that information in your documentation pack- ages so that your fabricator or your assembler understands the information that you're trying to convey? One big challenge in this industry is the data package handoff itself. You can do all the in-house development, and what you want to happen, but how do you convey that infor- mation accurately to your vendors? Even with the standards, designers must understand things like the language, and how you write your fab and assembly notes. When I discuss documentation in the classes I teach, I always discuss the proper voice to use. We are used to talking in first-person declarative statements: "Put this material in the location," or "Tighten this bolt down at this step." ese are command statements. You're effectively instructing your vendor what to do. Writing quality statements, such as "It shall meet this requirement," requires a different mindset. Instead of giving the vendor instruc- tions on what to do, give them the freedom to use the processes they are experts at and show that they meet your requirements. 18 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2025 Kris Moyer