Process

OUR PROCESS

Our five-phase development process ensures our work meets your expectations as well as regulatory requirements, so your project can launch successfully as a commercial product. We work underneath your quality management system wherever you are in the process. Whether you are just beginning development or already have a detailed design for your product, we are ready to jump in and help.

THE PALMER PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Phase 1: Feasibility

Focused on capturing all requirements informing system design and planning how they will be tested
Requirements may come from user needs, marketing features, risk mitigations, regulatory standards, etc.
If necessary to reduce technical risk, work to demonstrate feasibility of a design and/or creation of Proof-of-Concept (POC) prototypes

Phase 2: Prototype Design

Focused on testing and characterizing any novel, un-proven, or otherwise high-risk design elements
Proof-of-concept prototypes can often be accomplished with off-the-shelf hardware (evaluation kits, development boards, etc.)
More complex designs may require custom PCBA design
Prototype design phase may encompass multiple design iterations (e.g. POC on development boards, alpha prototype, fit-form-function prototype)

Phase 3: Detailed Design

Revise design based on information gathered in prototype testing
Build pilot units suitable for formal verification testing
Create supplementary design documentation as necessary (Design Description, Software Architecture, System Block Diagram, etc.)

Phase 4: Verification Testing

Focused on testing the device against released requirements
Performance failures discovered in this phase may require revisiting any of the previous phases
Test methods, protocols, and results are captured in format suitable for regulatory submission
This phase may also include PWM aiding/facilitating official testing done by registered 3rd-party labs (EMC, electrical safety testing, etc.)

Phase 5: Manufacturing Transfer

Coordination with CM/manufacturing group for release of final electrical build files, bills of materials, final software binaries, etc.
Assistance in manufacturing test procedure creation
Creation of manufacturing functional test stations