After the success of Introduction to PCBA Electronics, Engineering leadership asked for a follow-up course for the same audience of new hires and transfers joining the Manufacturing Engineering team. 

Taking a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) from R&D design to validated production with an outside vendor involves many handoffs:

• sharing the design with the vendor

• reviewing the vendor’s feedback on component sourcing, manufacturability and testability

• evaluating alternate components with R&D

• providing golden samples so the vendor can build their SMT and test lines

• running DVAL and PPQ on the first builds

Engineers often join projects already in progress, so in order for this process to move along smoothly and efficiently, they need to be able to quickly recognize where a project stands, what's already been completed, and what the vendor or other internal teams need from them next.

I worked with one of the senior electrical engineer SMEs from the first course to map the full vendor manufacturing lifecycle and turn it into a clear, stage-by-stage learning experience. Rather than teaching each stage in isolation, this course explains what is happening at every step and the questions and issues that typically arise, helping engineers build a mental map of the whole process and quickly find their place in it. 

The repeat request from the Director of Manufacturing Engineering reflects the value the first course delivered: what started as a one-off project grew into an ongoing partnership with the Engineering team. 

Role: Solo ID in collaboration with Engineering SMEs

Tools: Articulate Rise & Storyline & Adobe Premiere Pro

Audience: ~35 new manufacturing engineers annually

Impact: Gives new Manufacturing Engineers a shared framework for vendor-managed PCBA projects.

Training Deliverables: