Blog
The Smart Alternative to Hiring a Full-Time Engineer for Small Businesses
Imagine hiring a skilled engineer to develop embedded firmware for your latest IoT sensor. They dive into the project, complete the firmware...
Tips for Doing Design Verification Testing
Design Verification Testing (DVT) is like the final checkpoint before your product hits the manufacturing line. It's the process that ensures your...
Conceptual Design Covers 90% of the Product Development Success
After working on over 1,000 product development projects for more than 275 small businesses, we’ve seen a common issue time and again—companies...
Documenting a Product for Production — A Key to Quality
When a product doesn’t meet customer expectations, the root cause often lies in the documentation process. A manufacturing failure can typically be...
From PROTOTYPE TO PRODUCTION
You've got a working prototype – awesome! That's like having a promising engine design. But turning that engine into a winning race car ready for...
When to Shut Down that Product Development Project?
Yogi Berra once said, “The future ain’t what it used to be.” This quote rings especially true in product development. Not every project lives up to...
Planning for Reshoring Production
Are you thinking of reshoring? Not sure how to go about it? Here is a short list of things you should consider in your plan: ROI - Evaluating the...
The True Cost of a Full-Time Engineer
I got a call from an engineering friend of mine. He just moved to a new city for a new job. He writes firmware for a small company. Reason for the...
The Most Expensive Mistake I Ever Made Was Hiring a Cheap Engineer
In the world of product development, small companies like FinishLinePDS are all too familiar with the financial constraints they often face. It's...
The Amazing Product You Can Afford To Develop
Have you ever allowed your imagination to wander, pondering the incredible product you'd create if money were no object? Well, what if I told you...
Why Gantt Charts Do Not Work For Product Development
Recently I had a client give me an idea for a new product he had been thinking of and then ask me for a Gantt Chart (Gantt Charts illustrate the...
Prototype vs. MVP vs. PoC
Prototype, MVP (Minimally Viable Product) and PoC (Proof of Concept) often get lumped together as one thing. This is understandable because each is...
What To Do About Product Field Failures
Every company wants to sell a product that never fails. The reality is that even great companies have product failures. The difference between the...
What Every Contact Manufacturer Needs to Know About Product Development
In the landmark HBR article The Four Things a Service Business Must Get Right, by Frances X. Frei, the author contrasts a product business from a...
How to Conduct a Design Verification Test
Design Verification Testing (DVT) is the litmus test for ensuring that your meticulously crafted designs will yield a product that aligns seamlessly...