As product development managers and their teams complete the conceptual and design phases of their product, they begin looking into manufacturing. During this time, the pressure is often on these teams to keep costs down, which drives many to seek a manufacturing partner overseas, typically in a low cost country (LCC).

The issue of traceability – the mapping of requirements to their products or systems and to each other – cannot be overlooked. Missing this component in your requirements specification can create problems throughout the development lifecycle, affecting architecture, design, and any subsequent modifications or evolutions to the requirements themselves.

Whether on a political, economic, or environmental level, the notion of manufacturers altering their processes to be more sustainable - yet still emphasizing quality manufacturing - is always in the news. Frequent studies come out analyzing the current state of sustainable manufacturing and recommendations are made, and many contract manufacturers learn to adapt, both in order to properly align with regulations and to encourage sustainability throughout the manufacturing process. 

The RFP evaluation process is designed to clarify many aspects of potential partnerships and deliverables – the quality of the vendor, the scope of the project, and the outcomes on which success will be measured.

When writing perfect requirements for your product, there is a lot of ground to cover. After you have clearly specified your requirements, you still need to take the all important step of verifying them. A requirement must be stated such that there is a reasonable and cost-effective process by which to ensure the product or system meets the requirement.

“Time is money.” That phrase may not be more true than in the fields of product development, engineering, and manufacturing. Lapses and delays don’t just cause a minor inconvenience here - rather, every day you fall behind schedule can mean lost revenue.

Whether you are launching a consumer product for the IoT, or if you are looking to produce a electronic part for a bigger end-product, coming in on time and under cost is essential to your long-term success. Here are four of the most common challenges companies run into during this process, and how you can optimize your way to a successful launch.