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November 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 13 a development science just like the other engi- neering disciplines. When a procurement department sends out a design RFQ to multiple vendors/designers, and then awards the project to the lowest bid- der, are they assuming that anyone can design it and will do so with a fixed completion date and receive a fixed price? Although this often occurs, you might ask, "Is the procurement per- son competent to assess PCB design talent and proficiency?" In reality, all designers are not equal, just as you would not ask any random EE to perform your circuit engineering. Also, for time considerations, often the scope of the work is still in flux. Changes will occur, as we all know. This is known as scope/schedule creepage. Engineering is, by its very nature, a discovery science. Often during the CAD phase, responsible engineers would like to modify placement and routing to their hearts' con- tent. These unseen and mid- stream changes, discoveries and modifications make esti- mating scope-of-work an un- realistic guessing game. Many designers will an- swer the call of low-ball fixed price work and perform to a fixed date. When they do so, they are often pushed to ignore quality issues and engineering er- rors that arise. Why would someone ever do that? Because they would be more than willing to design a second revision; after all, you made the errors and approved the poor quality. Thus, the expression "You get what you pay for." I have also heard someone say, "Price is what you pay up front and cost is what you will pay in the long run." What Outsourcing Should Be: A Virtual CAD Department A virtual CAD department is an on-demand service that does not bill idle hours, but it does incorporate innovation, experience, training, teamwork, and a good work ethic. This should not be confused with the sweat- shop mentality from days past. That negative concept of "work until you drop" burned peo- ple out and created more errors than was ac- ceptable. Good PCB designers will serve at the direction of your engineering staff in a concur- rent manner. They are an Internet connection away, whether they are in the same building, down the road, across the country, or around the globe. They will incorporate your initial design input, or incorpo- rate any changes made along the way. They are reliable, technically competent, and they will complete your de- sign on time and with a cost that would be appropriate for the amount of engineer- ing changes incurred. Thus, the expression that so many PCB designers know, "A cus- tomer will typically return to the last place they received a good layout." Good PCB design out- source partners do not want just one PCB design; they wants your repeat business as a partner. What trait and attributes should a company look for in a design outsourc- ing partner? What expecta- tions should companies have as they consider outsourcing? Since companies come in so many different sizes, the scope of each project must be considered according to budget, technology and schedule. These questions and parameters could have many answers. There are many dif- ferent solutions to outsourcing PCB design, and no one solution fits all. Here are some common PCB design out- sourcing solutions that may work for you: • Many companies use only employment agencies' temp staffers because they can quickly relieve overburdened design staffs of the task of personnel searching. This may be a ThE VIRTuAL CAD DEPARTMENT: ThE CASE FOR OuTSOuRCING DESIGNS continues feature Good PCB designers will serve at the direction of your engineering staff in a concurrent manner. They are an Internet connection away, whether they are in the same building, down the road, across the country, or around the globe. They will incorporate your initial design input, or incorporate any changes made along the way. " "