If you are in the planning phases of your next engineering project, you are likely contemplating how to get it done. One option would be to outsource part or all of the project to an engineering partner, but not all design engineering partners are created equal. So, what should you be looking for in a design engineering partner?
Simplexity’s business development team members talk with clients and prospects all day every day and here are the top six questions that are asked when picking a design engineering partner. The list includes factors that are most important and previous gotchas they are trying to avoid.
1: Does your team have the engineering skills I need?
What confidence do you have in the technical experience of the engineers assigned to your project? Chances are, if you could do the work yourself and had enough bandwidth on your team, you’d be doing it. Find out more about the partner team members who will be doing the work. What is their work history (current and previous), how many years of engineering experience do they have, and are they inventors on any patents?
2: Have you worked on projects specifically like mine before?
What examples can the partner provide to show they have experience as it relates to your specific project? i.e. how do you know who might be a low-risk option? Ask for examples of past projects or case studies that specifically address what the biggest risks/challenges were and how they were handled by the engineering partner. Discuss those capabilities and how other project work is relevant to your project.
3: How much will this project cost…. No, REALLY?
Are they giving it to you straight, or are they underbidding to get you in the door and then adding new costs and fees? i.e., How confident in their estimates are you? Can they explain their estimating process and their approach to assessing and highlighting risks? In terms of due diligence, has the firm committed to doing early analysis, rigorous characterization testing, and design architecture verification to ensure that the need for future design changes is minimized? Or do they want to just jump into design and work out all the systems interactions later when they are more expensive to fix? What sort of visibility are they able to provide on how they track and flag budget risks throughout the project?
4: How will I know “with confidence” how my project is proceeding?
How confident are you in the communication structure between your team and the design engineering firms teams? You should never be left guessing (or really having to ask at all) how a project is progressing. Your design engineering partner should give you easy access to proven collaboration tools to ensure client/design partner communications are transparent, timely and efficient.
5: Is a technical project manager part of the partner team?
On technical projects, project managers (PMs) need to be efficient conduits between client inputs and partner engineering teams. Do the design engineering partner’s PMs have engineering or technical backgrounds specific to the project? This isn’t common with all engineering firms, so find this out EARLY. Technical project managers can provide invaluable efficiency, and, in the end, potential project cost savings so make you know as much as possible about the project managers working on your project.
6: Will the resulting design be manufacturable, repeatable, and reliable?
How confident are you that the design being engineered can be built repeatably, and reliably? Has the design engineering partner built manufacturing readiness into the development process? Do they have dedicated New Product Introduction (NPI) and/or Quality Engineering teams? Do they build quality control (QC) tools and fixtures to ensure quality throughout assembly and manufacture? Do they offer contract manufacturer (CM) training to ensure all needed design learnings are passed on? What can they articulate specifically about design transfers?
Picking the right design engineering partner is critical to project success. Digging in and really analyzing which design engineering firm to select, based on the considerations above, should help you cull the herd. If a firm can’t adequately address the above questions, keep looking. Finding the right fit is critical to making sure you meet quality, functionality, and delivery milestones, all within budget.
Wishing you success in your quest! Naturally, we’d love to earn your business IF we are a fit for your project. Reach out and let’s find out together!
Meet our Business Development Team
Scott Jarnagin
Director of Business Development, Pacific Northwest
Scott has been designing medical and consumer products for consulting companies since 2004. His collaborative nature and broad experience led to becoming the technical lead on projects such as ruggedized consumer products, surgical devices, and connected medical wearables. Scott was one of the Simplexity Seattle office founders in 2017. Following several years of travel around the United States Scott has settled down and enjoys spending time with his son when not planning his next trip.
“The biggest win for me is working with both our team and clients to map out a development plan demonstrating a thorough understanding of what needs to be done and Simplexity’s technical expertise that makes us a low-risk option to move forward with.” ~Scott Jarnagin
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn
Tamsen Burlak
Director of Business Development, California
Tamsen joined Simplexity in October 2023, and is responsible for understanding client needs and sourcing comprehensive solutions across all of California, with the occasional Nationwide and Global client. Tamsen’s background is in environmental, energy, and industrial sectors. In her free time, she enjoys international travel, hiking, camping, and spending time with her favorite canine companion.
“My favorite client concern to address is explaining the value of our Project Managers. Every project is different, but if you have a complex need involving a team of engineers then you need a PM to drive schedule deliverables and milestone achievement. Simplexity’s PM’s are highly communicative, with technical engineering backgrounds, and are the perfect conduit for collaborative efforts between our clients and our award-winning engineers.” ~ Tamsen Burlak
Software: Design Complete
Hardware: Pre-production units for design verification
MFG. Readiness: CM schedule and budget, Unit build tracking