Many small and medium-sized companies often grapple with a multitude of tasks, including product development and procedure establishment. During this process, employees operate at a rapid pace, necessitating assistance to maintain focus on the intended product. In some instances, seeking external expertise with specific development skills can significantly reduce overall costs, particularly when strategically applied.

A prevalent misconception among design and manufacturing companies is the assumption that a functioning prototype is a market-ready product. In reality, this is rarely the case, leading to challenges when transitioning from prototyping to full-scale manufacturing. This transition proves especially arduous for smaller companies, but larger enterprises are not immune to such hurdles.

One viable solution to mitigate these challenges involves incorporating 3rd Reviews of the design before committing resources to prototyping or manufacturing. This approach recognizes that small and medium-sized companies often burden their employees with an array of tasks, leaving insufficient time for the development of essential documentation required for prototyping or manufacturing. This dearth of documentation results in subpar components and extensive delays in getting products to market.

Additionally, a fully functioning prototype can tempt companies to initiate production prematurely, resulting in overpriced products that demand substantial manpower to address complaints and service complications while fine-tuning the final design for manufacturing.

Implementing external Design Reviews in key focus areas can streamline time-to-market and serve as an internal quality check to ensure alignment with product requirements. If your company faces similar challenges, consider exploring the benefits of external reviews before committing to prototypes and manufacturing investments. This approach can yield significant improvements while allowing your employees to learn from the review experience, ultimately reducing the likelihood of failures as your company evolves.