You're tackling a new electronic engineering project. How do you balance innovation with reliability?

Having a plan with an end in mind can assist in risk management. Without an end in mind its hard to tell the next step and also to assess the risks involved however having a planner gives direction and perspective.

Risk analysis and I&C components reliability assessment, and component quality are obligatory not only for innovative decisions, but also for standard design decisions.

In as much as innovation is thrilling, reliability of a product or system is very essential. I would prefer to not be in a haste to release the innovated product or system to the public until I have subjected it to several reliability tests, including extreme cases. When my team is satisfied with the level of reliability, then it can be released.

Risk analysis for a new electronic engineering project involves: Identifying Risks: Pinpoint potential technical, operational and market risks. Assessing Impact: Evaluate the severity and likelihood of these risks. Mitigation Planning: Develop strategies to minimize identified risks such as thorough testing and quality control. To balance innovation with reliability: Controlled Innovation: Introduce new features within a manageable scope. Iterative Testing: Continuously test and refine prototypes to ensure reliability. Redundancy and Quality Control: Implement redundant systems and rigorous quality checks to catch and resolve issues early.

From the start, think about what can go wrong and the potential factors involved. Then, figure out what use case or problem statement within your ecosystem needs to be solved. This approach ensure the systems remain stable and reliable throughout the process and hence saves good time & money.

Innovation and Reliability are the same thrust. You just need to embrace a Reliability thinking during the prototype phase. It's not an afterthought... at least not if you want to be successful.

The basic thought to start with a design is to choose the right technology. This includes the choosing of right standards/protocols that will not create any kind of 'high' cost impact in the long run post implementation. For example: While designing a Building Automation System, I would always prefer a modular system design(components) with a standard which is widely used by multiple manufacturers rather than a proprietary standard developed by a particular manufacturer. This modular design approach helps isolate functionality within modules or microservices, which in turn bolsters stability, reliability and faster testing. This will ensure easy inter operability between components, easy availability, reduced cost of maintaining

An iterative approach for a new electronic engineering project involves: Incremental Development: Break the project into manageable phases. Continuous Testing: Test each iteration to identify and resolve issues early. Regular Feedback: Gather and incorporate feedback at each stage.

Standard compliance for a new electronic engineering project involves: Identifying Standards: Determine relevant industry standards and regulations. Implementing Standards: Integrate these standards into the design and development processes. Continuous Monitoring: Regularly review and update practices to maintain compliance.

Set clear goals, and integrate durable materials, efficient firmware, and robust, ergonomic designs. Collaborate with experts from materials science, software development, and mechanical engineering. Rapidly prototype and continuously improve based on feedback. Leverage cross-disciplinary insights for innovation and reliability.

Remember, being an electronic engineer is just the beginning! You're not just a master of circuits and microchips, you're a problem-solving rockstar who can tackle challenges from any field that comes your way! Innovation is all about collaboration and borrowing brilliant ideas from other engineering disciplines. So, don't be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone and geek out with fellow engineers from different fields. Together, you can create something truly amazing and make the world an even more awesome place, one innovation at a time!

The 800lbs gorilla in the room will be, what no one in business wants to commit to, time. Time, to research an idea that, most likely someone before you, has tried before. What's worked in the past, what hasn't, and, can problems be foreseen to crop-up. Still, someone out there, is going to know, or have, INFO upon what your task maybe. Hopefully, documented somewhere. BTW, don't forget to document what it is that you are doing. Yes, more time consuming to do, but worth it in the long-run, possibly, legally so.

"Keep the problem you’re trying to solve in top of your mind!" This will make your approach much easier right from the design phase.