Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/652863
20 The PCB Design Magazine • March 2016 some of your hard-earned cash to get the proj- ect done. So, one would ask, how in the world do I go about choosing the right company? It really comes down to an interview. Ask the questions that are important to you and to your project, and if you are getting the runaround, then run away as fast as possible. When you are interviewing a potential part- ner in your project, you need to understand how that company does business. Keep the fol- lowing questions in mind when you're consid- ering working with a design bureau: 1. Do they have and maintain the most current revs of the CAD and CAE software suites? 2. Are they willing to spend time with you and outline the process and how it works? 3. Do they have the ability to start and finish your project for you? a. Do the research. b. Create the schematic. c. Create the PCB layout. d. Completing a prototype assembly. e. Developing the firmware. f. Perform debug and test. g. Provide a technical guide and test report. 4. Are they able to integrate your ideas into a final product that you can go and sell to the world? 5. Are they willing to protect your ideas and project with a written guarantee and more importantly a legal document? This process of choosing an engineering partner is a two-way street. The company rep- resentative will or at least should be asking you questions and setting expectations on poten- tial costs and potential timelines. They need to understand your ideas, the inputs, the outputs, what you want it to do with them. Cost is an area of concern. If a company low-balls you on the quote to get your business, caveat emptor, or "let the buyer beware." They ARE going to hit you with additional costs later on, and that is not a good situation at all. As the customer, you need to understand that if you make changes to the statement of work that was originally agreed upon, cost changes should be expected. After all, their time is worth something too, and this is how they make a living. Since this may be a long-term relationship, it is important to get to know each other. Talk about the project's goals. Talk about money. Yes, have the money talk. They need to know if you can pay them and HOW you will do so. You need to know what you are going to get for your cash as well as HOW and WHEN. When they send you the estimate, does it outline the timeline and milestones? It should, and if it doesn't, ask them to provide them for you. If the company cannot give you a timeline and milestones, go somewhere else and start the process all over again. Finally, a contract is important, because this is your money, your project. You own it, not the design engineering company. Any company should be willing to sign a contract that spells that out. It's true; the "good ol' days" of electronics design are long gone. But with a little planning, PCB designers can still succeed, and make a good profit too. PCBDESIGN Gary Griffin is co-founder of Fast Interconnect, a product en- gineering company based in Casa Grande, Arizona. design strategies for success—and profit " Ask the questions that are important to you and to your project, and if you are getting the runaround, then run away as fast as possible. "