What is Right for My Organization?

In order to determine if platform design is right for your organization, consider the common features and functions in a particular product line. For example, there may be several products that use similar power supplies. Lamps, detectors, amplifiers or optics may be similar across product families. Think about the technologies used and those that are likely to be integrated in the future.

Benchmark your competitors to see what they are doing. Are there similar functions or subtle trends that should be separated and examined? Is there a way to make a modular sub-system for that signal processing function that meets the collective requirements of multiple products?

Think about the big picture. This requires looking outside a single business unit, which is particularly important in large organizations serving many core and niche markets. The commercial business unit, for example, may have a very similar product to the residential business unit. Are there organizational or technical barriers to success?

If there are common threads that connect these products or product lines, then opportunity may exist for a common design platform. The business advantages are clear, however the investment can be significant. Platform designs do not happen by accident. They happen because leaders in an organization see the opportunity, are willing to put in the requisite effort and are comfortable that the risk/reward balance warrants the activity.

In a competitive environment where market share, manufacturing costs, and time to market are critical, a strategy that incorporates platform design may just be the winning approach.


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, Thomas C. Merle, can be reached at tmerle@dcontinuum.com