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July 2015 • The PCB Design Magazine 51 10 CONSIDERATIONS FOR OUTSOURCING PCB DESIGNS continues price targets are all met, but this isn't always possible. And therefore you need to consider your options as different outsourcing options often lay within those different sections of the circles Segment 1 is often seen as the easy route. The work will be done on time and will be fairly well priced in terms of what needs doing but may have reliability and quality issues. Cheap and cheerful outsourcing is great as long as the design is simple and there is little to go wrong. However, if the design requires multiple layers, high-speed routing and other more complex layout issues, the time and cost saved could be expended by having to do additional re-work and testing. Segment 2 is most likely to be independent professionals. They are often able to provide a high-quality service and be relatively well priced, due to their low overhead, but because of their nature as independent contractors, they will often, if they are good at what they do, have a number of jobs on at one time and require more time to complete the work. The challenge comes however when multiple jobs arrive at once and the individual has no addi- tional support staff to adjust and adapt to their clients' needs. Segment 3 usually consists of PCB design bureaus—a group of designers working on a va- riety of designs usually with extensive knowl- edge and experience of PCB design. There are a number of these across the UK all with different specialities and with different levels of experi- ence and training. This option is often seen as the most reliable and efficient but sometimes comes at an increased cost. The increased cost can have a big effect on the overall outcome of the project, but ultimately there is a choice to be made in terms of its importance if the po- tential alternative is that the project runs late or has functionality issues. Obviously, when searching for a suitable PCB outsourcing option, you want to be as close to the centre of the diagram as possible; make sure you have considered the consequences of fall- ing outside of your target and which elements that are most critical to the success of your proj- ect. Don't forget that the initial costs quoted are just that: initial costs. You get what you pay for and often additional costs can be accumulated and added to the final bill, dramatically affect- ing your bottom line and manufacturing costs. 5. Quality, Quality, Quality Seems like an obvious thing to say, but if you're looking to outsource, reliability will be a key factor in your decision making process. This doesn't just involve whether they are phys- ically at the other end of the phone when you need them or whether they deliver the project in a timely fashion. These are all important but there are other areas of reliability that need to be considered. The quality of the design work is crucial. When re-work and costly mistakes are some- thing you can't afford, an unreliable contractor can severely cost a project time, money and ef- fort. Ensuring you have a competent addition to your team is essential, but how can you tell that they are what they say they are? Well the first thing to look for is whether they have the right accreditations, such ISO9000. The design professionals working on your job should have their IPC CID or CID+ certifica- tion. Many PCB design professional have years of professional training and whilst a good level of education is no substitute for experience, en- article Figure 1: a typical project management triangle.