Page 15 - Building A Succesful Board-Test Strategy

2 BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BOARD-TEST STRATEGY

The test-engineering industry is already feeling the effects of this more global
approach to test problems. Trade shows geared exclusively toward testing elec-
tronics—aside from the annual International Test Conference sponsored by the
IEEE—have largely passed into the pages of history. Instead, test has become an
integral part of trade shows geared to printed-circuit-board manufacturing. There
are two basic reasons for this phenomenon. When test shows first appeared, test
operations enjoyed little visibility within most organizations. The shows helped
focus attention on testing and disseminated information on how to make it work,
In addition, most companies regarded testing as an isolated activity, adopting the
"over-the-wall" approach to product design. That is, "I designed it, now you figure
out how to test it."
Today, neither of those situations exists. Everyone is aware of the challenges
of product test, even as they strive to eliminate its huge costs and its impact on
time to market. Managers in particular dislike its constant reminders that the
manufacturing process is not perfect. They feel that if engineering and manu-
facturing personnel had done their jobs right the first time, testing would not be
necessary.
Also, in the past few years, product-manufacturing philosophy has migrated
away from the vertically integrated approach that served the industry for so long.
Companies still design and market their creations, but someone else often produces
them and makes sure that they work. Even within large companies that technically
perform this task themselves, production flows through one or a few dedicated
facilities. These facilities may differ legally from contract manufacturers, but from
a practical standpoint they serve the same purpose, possessing both the same
advantages and the same drawbacks.
Because of the popularity of at least the concept of concurrent engineering,
considering test activities as distinct from the rest of a manufacturing process is
no longer fashionable. Design engineers must deliver a clean product to either in-
house or contract manufacturing to facilitate assembly, testing, and prompt
shipment to customers. Depot repair and field-service engineers may need to cope
with that product's failure years later. With the constant rapid evolution of
electronic products, by the time a product returns for repair, the factory may no
longer make it at all.
Therefore, although this book is specifically about building board-test strate-
gies, its principles and recommendations stray far afield from that relatively narrow
venue. The most successful board-test strategy must include all steps necessary
to ship a quality product, whether or not those steps relate directly to the test
process itself.
The aim of this book is not to provide the ultimate test strategy for any spe-
cific situation. No general discussion can do that. Nobody understands a particu-
lar manufacturing situation better than the individuals involved. This book will
describe technical and management tools and fit them into the sociology and
politics of an organization. You must decide for yourself how to adapt these tools
to your needs.