Success factors in product development

Developments are becoming more and more specialised and complex. What was implemented 20 years ago with a simple microcontroller and a self-contained application is now moving towards complex algorithms with AI and product connectivity. With the further development of embedded systems, high-performance components are available that offer completely new possibilities. These trends can be seen in a wide range of areas: microcontrollers, sensor technology, IoT, power and battery management, to name just a few. Most of our customers also have a very technical focus and are observing this trend. This is how new possibilities and solutions are developed, and with them new challenges for the development of complex networked products.

With the transfer and integration of mechanical and electromechanical functions into the field of electronics, the focus of tasks is also shifting here from the designer to the electronics developer. A clean integration into mechanical components is still very important, since space conditions and integration requirements on the customer side are often very strictly defined.

A coordinated design between electronics and mechanics is fundamental for the success of a product today. Another success factor is producibility, in terms of the product's design, quality and manufacturing costs. It is essential to include these considerations in a project at an early stage and to take these holistic requirements into account as early as the concept stage. This is how the basis for a successful product can be created.

The STEINEL Solutions set-up with the one-stop shop concept – from the concept, to development, to industrialisation, to series production and after-sales services, everything from a single source – perfectly supports this approach, because the interfaces are reduced, the communication channels are short and the experts for all areas work in-house, ideally even in the same office.

This simplifies the development work and offers our customers significant advantages over their competitors. The whole thing is rounded off by our in-house capabilities in the field of operating and test equipment construction, as well as the complete chain of tool procurement.

But not only are customers, their products and, consequently, development projects becoming more complex, the demands on the developers themselves are also changing. An electronics developer, who used to be a generalist who could be deployed flexibly in many projects, has evolved over the years into a specialist. In addition to their generalist knowledge, they cover a very specific technical aspect as a technical specialist. Such employee development does not happen overnight – it has to keep pace with market trends, customer needs and the company's vision for the future. In any case, this must always coincide with an employee's personal interests.

Only if they have the time and interest can the change from generalist to specialist be successfully implemented. The more diverse a development team is, the more flexible its area of application. At the same time, a successful development company must be able to accommodate the desire for a deputy arrangement and backup of know-how. The more extensive and focused a development team is put together, the easier it is to accomplish this.

Development results are always characterised by the performance and the work of a team. In addition to the technical expertise of a development team, the human factor must also function and be taught.

At STEINEL Solutions, we pursue this approach very successfully with several interdisciplinary development teams. The teams develop their own momentum and well-rehearsed processes because the employees understand each other almost instinctively and trust each other. Our interdisciplinary teams are made up of the hardware, firmware, PCB design, mechanics and testing development areas. All of this is under the direction of a project manager who directs the development teams in such a way that customer needs and internal processes are met and timely communication with the customer is ensured at all times. This means that a team is fully staffed with all specialist departments and can realise project after project independently in the same composition. The interaction, personal cohesion and the idiosyncrasies of the different characters in a team grow together and complement each other better and better over time. This team structure is ideal for the development and launch of a new product, as the experience of several successful projects shows.

We also always present the same face to our customers. In the area of OEM development, this is extremely important because each customer has slightly different characteristics. These may be internal processes at the customer's company, industry-specific knowledge, experiences from products that have already been implemented, or technical aspects relevant to certification. Here, too, a well-rehearsed collaboration develops over time, and with it a partnership-based customer-supplier relationship at the level of sales, project management, series support and after sales. This in turn brings many advantages, such as the efficient processing of enquiries or changes.

In the area of methodology, a trend towards agility and flexibility has emerged in recent years. Our customers are operating in a volatile environment in which time to market is an important factor. The traditional approach of a fully specified concept at the start of the project is no longer up to date and no longer meets market and customer expectations. Agile methods are required and needed in order to be able to react actively to changes. The more complex a development project and product, the greater the number of changes and the longer the implementation period. What's more, customers want to be actively involved in the product development process.

The question now is whether agile project management is really the model for the future, as is being proclaimed in many quarters. Scrum sounds modern and dynamic, while Kanban has more of a production-related flavour – but is the decision really that simple?

In our area, we do not develop pure software products, and a mixed function with factors from both approaches has proven to be the optimal solution – a so-called "Scrumban". We visualise the current tasks and the backlog and align ourselves in meetings. The advantages for us are that we have been able to reduce the overhead of Scrum in its pure form, project-specific characteristics and roles can be flexibly mapped and a Scrumban board can be tailored to a project. The inclusion of customers and any technical specialists from the STEINEL Group or from external partners is easy and aligned with the requirements of the project.

It sounds simple. But the "development" of development takes time and is always a challenge, as it is fast, unstoppable and has many aspects. The basis for continuous optimisation is constant internal and external alignment, as well as monitoring trends and technologies. This is the only way to tackle training and further education as well as specialisations or to refine processes and procedures. We have done and continue to do this: we have a vision, we think big and sometimes take a risk as a company to stay on the ball.