By Paul Boerger, CTO & VP of Engineering
HP Digital Entertainment Center (DE100C)
For more than 33 years, I’ve had the good fortune to develop several new products and have worked with great teams to build and launch innovations in robotics, servers, consumer electronics, peripherals, printers, kiosks, data storage, information appliances, industrial controls, web applications, automation, and new categories of products in emerging markets.
I am often asked, “What does it take to launch a new product?” Although a tough question, I typically respond with…
- Be prepared to work tirelessly
- Plan to solve at least 10,000 problems
- Most importantly, make sure that your product is viable.
How do you test for product viability? I pose the same three questions that Mark Hurd, ex-HP CEO, asks when considering the promise of a new product:
- Can you sell it?
- Can you build it?
- Can you support it?
If the answer is yes to all three of the above questions with some assurance of profitably, you are ready to go!
For the design and development portion of the project, I hold dear the ever-crucial engineering aspects of the design which are captured in three key phases—EVT, DVT, and PVT:
EVT: Engineering Verification Test (Demonstrate engineering readiness)
- Architect, prototype, and/or simulate the highest risk hurdles at the front-end of the project
- Verify cost, technical assumptions, and demonstrate the feasibility of value proposition through viability tests.
DVT: Design Verification Test (Demonstrate design readiness)
- This is the longest and most expensive portion of the development process
- Finalize designs and manifest the concepts into their final form and function with enough hardening to enable regulatory, compliance testing, and packaging design.
PVT: Production Verification Test (Demonstrate production readiness)
Understand barriers to scale with evaluation and understanding the variation of part, variation of the test, and variation of the process. These metrics directly correlate to the First Time Turn-on Rate (FTTOR)/yield and help understand crucial metrics around profitability to scale.
MR: Manufacturing Release
The super, awesome checkered flag of product realization!
Although there are additional stages surrounding the design and deployment efforts; EVT, DVT, and PVT are the foundational phases of product design. Here is a rendering of the full design and deployment process that my team successfully uses for product realization:
End-to-End Product Realization PLC
Based on empirical results, this model ensures a successful end-to-end product transition from prototype to volume production.
Are you ready now? Here’s your call to action. If you have a great concept that you are confident you can sell, please drop me a note. My team and I can help you discover the pathways to success by building, deploying, and supporting your product into the market. We would love to be a part of your epic journey of product realization.
Wishing you the very best in your future endeavor now and always,
Paul Boerger
CTO and VP of Engineering
Vergent Products, Inc.
