Fisica

My Electrical Leadership Lesson: Assumptions Need Verification

One experience that comes to mind was during a Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) for a Circuit Card Assembly that had DDR4 on it. The team of engineers had created a fishbone, and I was leading the effort. I asked an engineer to verify power to the DDR4 chips, and the results appeared to be within specification.

That led the team down a different path, but eventually, we came back to power as the most likely culprit. I then asked the team to remeasure power and really dive into the details of where it was measured. That experience taught me the importance of following up on expectations, checking the details and removing assumptions from the process.

PCB Design Complexity: Modularity Requires Early Discipline

One of the largest challenges in electrical design today is defining what is truly necessary in a complex system. Many times, electrical engineers design complex printed circuit boards (PCBs) with excess components that are not needed in the system. Those added components limit space, which can prevent PCBs from adding additional functionality and becoming more modular.

Modular PCBs allow the business to use the same board for various applications. Another challenge engineering teams face is the belief that everything has to be perfect on the first run, along with business limits on testing costs. This does not allow teams to have enough material to test with, which often causes delays as engineers wait for time and hardware to test their designs properly.

Engineering Reliability: Small Changes Enable Progress

Balancing innovation with reliability and compliance is always difficult. Many companies today rely on legacy designs because they know those designs are reliable and compliant, and because the data exists to prove it. Continuing down the path of legacy, however, can eventually lead to a Bell Telephone Company-type issue.

The approach I try to take is to find small areas in the design that can be redesigned into a newer version and show that there is very little risk compared with a fully new innovative design. The key to compliance is understanding what needs to be accomplished and then following a rigorous process that ensures those needs are met.

Model-Based Design: Verification Keeps Engineering Honest

The number one trend I see in electrical design tools and other software tools is a model-based, collaborative approach.

Model-based systems engineering has really taken over the industry. One issue, however, is that company cultures may believe that if a design is modeled or simulated, it will work the same way when it materializes. That mindset can overlook the real risks associated with the build. There are many benefits to model-based design. It requires engineers to document the design well and makes a modular approach easier to see. The downside is that it can be cumbersome, and a design can still be weak if the model does not represent reality. Models are only as good as the people or tools creating them, whether AI or human. And the proof of a design still comes from testing and verification.

Advice to Peers: Stay Technical, Challenge Legacy

Always stay technical. If you move into a new technical area, learn it by finding the people who have been doing it the longest. Sit, listen and begin to understand the systems you are leading for the team. Knowing the system is how you help your team succeed. Without technical knowledge of the systems you are working on, you cannot offer valid suggestions or critiques to the team.

I have seen too many technical leaders lose sight of the technical side after moving from one company to another. They never really try to understand what the team is working on, which limits their ability to lead and mentor effectively. Do not be afraid to challenge the status quo. There are many things companies continue doing because of legacy thinking or because “one time we had a problem.”

Most of the time, those one-time instances point to a lack of personal accountability or responsibility. Usually, the process created to cover that issue creates more havoc and frustration for electrical engineers than it is worth.