Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/960726
SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE 2018 I I-CONNECT007 33 resistors and capacitors. Those three groups came together to create a one specification that the whole industry uses. We have a very good relationship with the IEC solderability speci - fications and Graham Naisbitt who is heavily involved in the IEC solderability committees. So really, the goal would be that one day we have a set of documents everyone follows. And I feel that the J-standard 002 committee and the adjoining organizations, we've really made that our goal. To try to work through the tech- nical differences and find a way that we have one set of documents, where I'm not trying to meet two or three documents. If we can con- tinue to work towards that goal, I think we've done a good job of attempting to meet the industry's needs. The other accom- plishment would be the use of data for specification require- ments. In the com- mittees, or even just company meet- ings, there's a lot of emotion about this or that and what it comes down to is this: Data should win. Just because I believe something should be the best industry practice, if I don't have data to back that up, we shouldn't be making a requirement. And Jim Reed, who was our Assembly and Join- ing chair for many years, suggested we push harder for data-based requirements. I think that at least within the J-standard 002 realm, I've done a good job on that. As a committee, that's what we do. We try to base everything on fact-based decisions. Goldman: What advice do you have for oth- ers regarding involvement with standards and specification development? You kind of talked a little bit about that, but expand some. Hillman: The number one thing is you go to your first committee meeting and participate; I remember mine. Some of the people who had been in the industry forever were up there talk- ing about different technical options and dif- ferent ideas, and here I am this newcomer who was probably drinking out of a fire hose or try- ing to boil the ocean, and what do I do? Very overwhelming. The simple answer is volunteer to help write something. Volunteer to go get a picture. Get into the committee tasks, get into the document, because then you start devel- oping relationships with your committee co- workers. You start to get phone numbers and developing a network of resources. There are lots of people I can call if I'm stuck on some- thing because of my committee participation. Committee participation helps me to under- stand how I'm doing processes in my com- pany might be differ- ent than Joe Smith might be doing pro- cesses in other com- pany, and the pluses and minuses. Why would we want to, or not want to, put something into an industry spec? What are our industry's best practices? Get into the committee work. Sitting on the outside and listening is useful and helpful, but participating is so much more rewarding and you get so much more out of it and it helps you be a better engineer. Goldman: I fully agree with that. You don't learn by just sitting there. You learn by getting involved and working on stuff. Hillman: I work harder, not smarter. I'm going to go get my hands dirty. As Doug Pauls would say, I'm the most horrid writer in the world, but if I write it enough times it comes out okay. You find out you're not alone. There are a lot of people in other companies that come to IPC, with the exact same problems, same tech- nologies, and together we get through them faster. Together we create a document that's like, "Wow, this is a requirement for everyone.