Sometimes I do support Sales to spec in a new project and see what is the best solution we can provide to the customer based on their application. However, sometimes Procurement plays a big role in these choices. As a PC storage solution provider for SSD and DRAMs, Flash IC allocation is very important not only to the project but also to the…[Read more]

For my company, they used bottom-up estimation. As they like everything as much accurate as it could be based on analysis and facts. However, there is always some exception based on the volume of the project and what is the profit margin. If I was a PM role, I would prefer bottom-up estimate as most of us do. I think it delays the start of the…[Read more]

I think Changing any part of the project can have a great effect. When you take this discussion you have to take in consideration the effect. that could be budget, the timing of the project, etc. So, you have to calculate the benefits vs risk and is it worth it to do such a change. And is it gonna add to the project, is it gonna help to meet the…[Read more]

we can think about the ratio between the two to define the success rate. Planned value is like the target for the team. It is set and defined before the project started as an expectation. However, the Actual cost is how much the team contributed work and how much was able to achieve from that target.

I think for all the companies, the capital value is what differentiates one company form the other. Generated revenue is the goal of all profitable companies. It doesn’t matter if you have the greats idea that doesn’t generate revenue. To owners or upper management, what is define success is the input to the revenue.So, Metrics is one of the…[Read more]

From my past experience, When a PM starts a team development, they make sure they have backup more most of the members or at least for the critical ones. As a team when we accept a project we own it and everyone tried as best as the can to hit the target on time or even sometime before to leave a buffer time for unexpected. But of course, it…[Read more]

I think design validation is to make sure your product does what is suppose to do. Not to define or to verify the output. Design verification is more to set the expectation and to make sure input equal to the output. sometimes we try to be as close as we can help with customer needed but you could face limitation from a different kind, that…[Read more]

Design Verification is focused more on paperwork stage of the project preparation. I will include all design imputs: specification, industrial regulations, and any important information regard to project planning and live document such DID. And you compare it against your output such as drawing, design specification, special testing, etc. The…[Read more]

I agree with the steps mentioned above for managing a project. I would only emphasize on how important to keep a record of everything and keep the document up to date and to follow up to make everything is going as it suppose to be. one member delay can cause the whole team to fail. While the simulation, we might not need that as we only 5 members…[Read more]

The last couple weeks, we have been studying different methods and documents that help to manage the project. It is very important to keep these docs up to date. It is good to utilize these tools to help better manage and keep track of time like a Gain chart. For my team, we communicated together and set the targets, timing and assigned tasks to…[Read more]

I agree with most of the posts above. however, at the end of the day, the company sign agreement and must be responsible to deliver on time. Customers don’t care what happens internally, They care about the results at the end from my experience. The last couple weeks, we have been studying different methods and documents that help to manage the…[Read more]

Part of risk management is to make sure all the task are done on time in order to meet the Finish date. in the lecture, for this week we learned about the Gain chart and how it helps to organize tasks, subtask, and ownership of this tasks in a timely manner. Dr. Simon mentioned construct a Gain chart backward helps for risk management analysis…[Read more]

For the current project that I work on it with my company, The biggest concern is about part allocation. Flash ICs are one of the major components to build SSD and DRAM after the microcontrollers. It happens couple time that I would be able to spec in and qualify a project, But due to the lead time for the Flash ICs is longer than customer…[Read more]

The gain chart is very important to keep track of time and organize subtask. It helps you to visualize dependent and independent task to better manage your project. I learned how to construct my first gain chart during my first Co-op with Panasonic. Managment ask to build the gain chart from the end and, work it all the way back. I was confused…[Read more]

For my company, we manufacture SSD for different industrial sectors as a solution. Based on customer application, it could be a hardware or a firmware modification. if it required hardware, we change the initial design, CAD schematics for PCB, connector, Pin configuration if it different from write protect to standard secure erase, flash and,…[Read more]

An engineering change order is very important to keep track of any change to the initial proposal and product part especially when you don’t have a locked BOM list. sometimes your dependant on parts suppliers roadmap and end off live notice. Also, sometimes you can not depend on one vendor or supplier and must qualify more that one. ECO…[Read more]

As it was mentioned in the lecture of this week, Risk management sometimes takes place after the deployment of the product. As a field application engineer, we write a FAR report based on eight disciplines problem-solving. D5, D6, and D7 which is verification of solution, corrective action, and preventive action. these three points have to be…[Read more]

I think quality control plays a big role for the project. Quality control set the expectation of requirement before the project goes to mass production. I believe many companies may do the same product. However what differentiates one from the other is the quality of the product. the set expectations vs the output of the product. It about…[Read more]

sadly to say that But you may have the greatest idea but if the companies think it’s not going to bring enough revenue they may turn the project down. you need to know how to market your idea to attract investors. it’s not easy to market the idea, in the beginning, people always tend to like finalized the working product. Many companies don’t want…[Read more]

I think every company is different when it come to categorized ther product but, most of them they will have a focused vertical or sector. each vertical will have it’s series with different version. so for each sector there is a product series with in the product line that best fit the applicaition.