Hi all, I’m a product designer who knows very little about PCB’s but often need them in the projects I work on. I’ve had a few issues recently where an engineer developed an SMD circuit board for me which didn’t work as expected. The engineer then went ‘AWOL’ leaving me somewhat in the lurch. As most engineers accessible to me are ‘freelance’ I’m very reliant on one person and in this instance was let down badly. So the question is, if I want to succeed longer term I need a way to mitigate risk placed on one engineer. My question is how do I do this? One idea is to hire someone very high level to ‘check’ work as it progresses and advise me. A ‘second pair of eyes’. So perhaps I can only hire engineers who work with a particular type of design software which I can get to understand as well as having a ‘second pair of eyes’ who uses the same software. I don’t know and would really appreciate any ideas or suggestions from anyone out there with thoughts on this. Many thanks !

 

Generally, when sub-contracting any job to a company or an individual it's essential to:

1. Specify the requirement very clearly in writing, possibly including sketches, clarifying exactly what you expect the product to do.
2. Agree sensible payment terms, possibly including stage payments when defined milestones are achieved (such as delivery of schematics, gerber files, bill of materials, prototypes), with a final payment on completion.

That way, if the job is not completed, you can take what has been done so far and ask another party to complete the project. You may find that the new engineer thinks the work so far is useless and starts from scratch.

Many companies fail to follow these simple rules internally. No engineer should take on a task without a well defined requirement specification including cost targets. Unless a product being developed is expected to be made in thousands the biggest cost is typically engineering time!

 

Thanks for your considered reply. These steps have been followed and the engineer picking up the job does indeed think the work done so far is useless. What I would like to know is does it make sense to have a second pair of eyes on the job the whole way along - using a more senior engineer? That way if the work is considered ‘useless’ it will be noted earlier on in the process.

 

Thanks for your considered reply. These steps have been followed and the engineer picking up the job does indeed think the work done so far is useless. What I would like to know is does it make sense to have a second pair of eyes on the job the whole way along - using a more senior engineer? That way if the work is considered ‘useless’ it will be noted earlier on in the process.

Maybe just ask the more senior engineer to do the job in the first place?

 

A second pair of eyes is a must but if you don't have that luxury make sure all the designs have a plan "B". I have my own biz on the side and often spin my own boards and don't have the luxury of design reviews like I have in my 9-5 job so I always make sure there is a way out if trying a circuit or part that might be high risk. Most times if there is a mistake, its in a discipline I'm not used too like a mechanical/fit mistake (for example, connector not enough clearance to the case or footprint off a bit). In those areas triple check everything. Use the internet, forums etc. to educate yourself as much as possible too. Also, try to prototype everything as much as possible if high risk.

 

Welcome to AAC.

Two things come to mind. First, incentive-based pay (which you already have to some extent) is a critical part. It is no guarantee, but it certainly tilts the odds in your favor if you do it effectively. The general idea of milestones is “good” but without some rationale for the milestones it’s meaningless.

Milestones have to be testable. There has to be something more than “submit initial CAD drawings”, as an example. In that case, there also needs to be clear criteria for what qualifies as ”initial CAD drawings”. They have to serve some function aside from just being a milestone.

It might be something like “submit initial CAD drawings detailing dimensions and attributes of PCB(s), including BoM for all user facing components (e.g. switches, connectors, etc.)”. This way, you are paying for something that someone else can take over, as well as something that lets you move on with ordering and designing (say, mechanical design of a housing).

Each milestone should have a similar rationale. You should also include on-time bonuses and a completion bonus. This would be a meaningful portion of the payment depending on making the deadlines.

Second thing is about your review idea. Given the cost a failure of the sort you describe is very costly, I would suggest you do some analysis on just how much you stand to lose and put that money towards a contract-based “engineering manager”. This would be a qualified person who acts as if he is employed as engineering managment and participates in engaging and leading the freelance engineer(s) you use, as well as vetting the milestones and their satisfaction.

If you have a person that runs the engineering part of the project from beginning to end, the likelihood of success increases greatly and the freelancers will know they can’t obfuscate and derail your project.

This is not an easy thing, as you well know. I wish you the best of luck.

 

It is obvious to me that your specifications and acceptance criteria are flawed.

If you had specified exactly how the board would be tested upon completion, and what results were required, it would be completely objective whether the project was completed satisfactorily.

This is what you must do next time.

 

lots of great responses. the requirements and expectations need to be very clear. demos/prototypes/reviews are all good and common. perhaps also consider making designs modular so that failure on one part does not mean complete scrap for everything. and if things are critical, have more than one person review it. then you can use that to question the other review.

 

One issue to keep in mind – there are many different ways to get from A to B, and the "best" approach is often what the designer understands best. You often see arguments about the "best" approach here, with people arguing about it long after the original poster has moved on. So depending on the personalities involved, a lot of time may be wasted evaluating equally valid solutions.

Any complex circuit design may need one or several prototype builds to iron out all the bugs. A tiny error or improvement found in a prototype run may save scrapping a large run of boards or expensive rework.

 

I have been in a similar situation and suffered as a result. And several more times I have been in the position of having to produce the correct results after the fact of a product being produced from a design that was accepted by those who did not understand enough to see the inadequacies.
so definitely the very first thing, as mentioned, is to provide a detailed description of what is requested. This would include performance, size, materials, and reliability. At some point a listing of components and parts must be delivered, not only to verify suitability but also to allow time to acquire the parts. This will also allow some understanding of the engineers design abilities.
One useful approach is to ask for references from prior clients. A good track record of similar products is a good sign, a refusal of previous clients to comment is similar to "I don't want to talk about it for legal reasons" response.
In some instances a hired "engineer" will give their very best effort and it will not be nearly good enough.
And about circuit board layouts: Being a reasonably good circuit design engineer does not qualify one as a circuit board designer.

 

Welcome to AAC.

Two things come to mind. First, incentive-based pay (which you already have to some extent) is a critical part. It is no guarantee, but it certainly tilts the odds in your favor if you do it effectively. The general idea of milestones is “good” but without some rationale for the milestones it’s meaningless.

Milestones have to be testable. There has to be something more than “submit initial CAD drawings”, as an example. In that case, there also needs to be clear criteria for what qualifies as ”initial CAD drawings”. They have to serve some function aside from just being a milestone.

It might be something like “submit initial CAD drawings detailing dimensions and attributes of PCB(s), including BoM for all user facing components (e.g. switches, connectors, etc.)”. This way, you are paying for something that someone else can take over, as well as something that lets you move on with ordering and designing (say, mechanical design of a housing).

Each milestone should have a similar rationale. You should also include on-time bonuses and a completion bonus. This would be a meaningful portion of the payment depending on making the deadlines.

Second thing is about your review idea. Given the cost a failure of the sort you describe is very costly, I would suggest you do some analysis on just how much you stand to lose and put that money towards a contract-based “engineering manager”. This would be a qualified person who acts as if he is employed as engineering managment and participates in engaging and leading the freelance engineer(s) you use, as well as vetting the milestones and their satisfaction.

If you have a person that runs the engineering part of the project from beginning to end, the likelihood of success increases greatly and the freelancers will know they can’t obfuscate and derail your project.

This is not an easy thing, as you well know. I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks very much - really appreciate and value this feedback. Generous of you to share your knowledge with a stranger.