To think about outsourcing is to think about cost. So really, the question becomes, what does this cost to do it myself? Take a look at what you’re doing and what’s expected as a deliverable. What are the costs associated to getting you there? Materials, labor & distribution, right? Maybe.
There are hidden costs to keeping a project in-house when something isn’t necessarily your thing. This is particularly true when it comes to test.
You do You.
There is no doubt that you are the greatest Whosits maker out there. That’s your bread, butter and jam, and why you are in business today. To make it your jam, you have surrounded yourself by the most knowledgeable Whosits engineers in the industry. They live and breathe Whosits and here you are, producing the highest quality product, because not only is your reputation at stake, but let’s face it, lower quality ends up costing you more.
But once something is out of the Whosits’ wheelhouse, like test engineering, this is not something your team has mastered, and that’s okay! They weren’t hired for that.
So what do you do? Do you find a way to get there using the team you have? These are smart people, they will no doubt find a solution. But at what cost? Despite having a skilled team that knows your industry inside and out, test engineering is a beast of its own. While your well-paid engineers are refocusing on something new, they are not doing what they were hired for. Progress decreases as frustration builds because this is not what they signed up for. The time to ramp up alone is time wasted because really, they could be doing ANYTHING else. Particularly, they could be focusing on your product and not the unknown.
Don’t Make Sacrifices
Then think about quality. To develop a test system designed for any product the specifications need to be very clear with no stones left unturned. What are the environmental impacts? What speeds need to be met? What type of material will surround the UUT? How tall is the operator? All stones need to be thrown right over because once your product is out in the real world any change can have an impact with detrimental results. What does that leave you with? Probably a substandard test process affecting your brand. Any unit that you put out there needs to be validated as thoroughly as it was developed, otherwise what’s the point and what are the repercussions?
Your Product Deserves the Best
What about optimization and longevity? ROI should be a company’s first priority when making any new move. Whether it’s time or money is being invested, you’ve got to ask yourself, what’s in it for me and for how long? Automation is the key to successful testing, and quite frankly, this is where the world is headed. How much of what you are doing manually can be solved with a push of a button and what do you need to do it? Automation will take labor off the production floor and improve the quality of the results by eliminating any room for error. Is this something that can be developed in-house?
There are always hidden costs to new undertakings, just speak to any home renovator. Regardless of your industry, it is safe to assume that everyone who is working for your company was hired for specific attributes. Why wouldn’t you take the same approach when it comes to your test solution? The way to guarantee the best results is to have the right people handling the tasks at hand. The people you have are great at what they do, making them do something else is an expensive risk to take. For the sake of “saving” money, progress and quality tend to take a backseat but in the long run the cost ends up being so much more.
To speak with any of Averna’s Test Experts about your current test set up, please give us a call or visit our website.
