Certify the project Anchors. Perform an 'Anchor Change Analysis' to see what effect possible changes to each Anchor may have on the project, product and other Anchors. From this analysis build contingency plans.

Finally, create a knowledgeable team where each member is given responsibility to be aware of changes to the Anchors. Don't staff the team with people who just know the buzzwords: it seems that every engineer knows about manufacturing; every manufacturer knows about engineering; and 'everyone' knows about marketing and management. Secure team members with actual experience appropriate to the technologies and processes being used, the manufacturing to be employed and to the sophistication of the project itself. Define goals and expectations of all team members to avoid overlapping efforts and confusion.

At this point the team will be better prepared to start the development process and then progress to a timely, quality and cost-effective outcome.

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thank the following colleagues for their sage critique and advice: Bill Evans, Kanata, Inc., Lumberton, NC; Ed Kirk, IDEO Product Development, Palo Alto, CA; John McQuade, Procera Networks, Los Gatos, CA


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not represent the views of the Techman/Kanata or of any of its directors, officers or employees. The author, Mr. Richard (Dick) Haney, can be reached at RichardMHaney@cs.com