We have established a proven process for electronic product development that enables us to consistently deliver high-quality products to our customers’ requirements. It is a tried and true development cycle that can provide complete turn-key solutions, or can be implemented in a non-linear fashion.
Our product development cycle breaks projects down into four critical phases:
- Product Definition
- Prototype Development
- Pre-Production Development
- Production Manufacturing
While all projects are unique in some form or fashion, a true turn-key project will run through each of these development phases.
In the Product Definition phase, we begin with your idea. We work to refine your concept while aiming to understand the cost goals and target market for your end product. We will also help you refine your needs and requirements as we jointly develop the product’s specifications and system architecture. It is during this phase of the development cycle that we also help you explore patent options and research competitive products.
The next phase is the Prototype Development phase. This is where your product starts to take form. Based on the system architecture and specifications developed in the Product Definition phase, product prototypes are designed and produced. We use these prototypes to prove the viability of the concept and validate the architecture.
In the Pre-Production Development phase, we move your product from a functional unit to a reliable, robust unit that is ready for wide scale deployment. We use field testing and user trials to identify technical issues as well as provide user feedback on the product’s features and capabilities. We then update the product’s hardware, software, mechanical and system design based on this feedback, iterating this process until together we deem the product production ready. At that point, we generate a manufacturing package consisting of the product’s hardware, software, and mechanical design for released to the contract manufacturer.
Once we release the final drawing package, the product enters the final phase, Production Manufacturing. In addition to the drawing package, we also develop and deliver to the manufacturer manufacturing test sets and procedures that are used to verify the product’s quality as it comes off the manufacturing line. We work very closely with your contract manufacturer as they begin initial rate production to ensure the product is being built as designed. Once the manufacturer has successful scaled to full rate production, we move into a “maintenance” mode, assisting the manufacturer only when needed.