This post- What Engineers Do During The Launch Phase, is the final post of the ‘Role of an Engineer’ series.
If you missed parts 1 through 5 of this series you definitely should read those first since these phases build on one another. Below are the other posts of the series:
- Welcome: Welcome To The Role Of An Engineer Series
- Define: What Engineers Do During The Define Phase
- Design: What Engineers Do During The Design Phase
- Develop: What Engineers Do During The Develop Phase
- Test: What Engineers Do During The Test Phase
This series is based on my experience as an engineer. Although the New Product Development Process is used in many industries, the exact tasks may vary.
The five phases of the New Product Development (NPD) Process include:
- Define
- Design
- Develop
- Test
- Launch
This post will focus on the Launch phase and dive into what an engineer does during this phase.
Launch Phase
You made it all the way through the NPD Process and are ready to launch!
Henry Ford noted the importance of a good product when he stated, “A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one.” This is the whole purpose of the NPD process. Each step is designed to help create a good product that is meeting a customer need and can be manufactured.
The key tasks an engineer is responsible for during the Launch phase include:
- Reviewing and approving all relevant documentation needed to make the change
- Working with regulatory for filings if applicable
- Sustaining the product after launch
Review and Approve Final Documents
Many documents are generated throughout the NPD process. These documents need to be approved and released before the product launches. Some of the engineering documents include:
- Market Specification
- Product Specification
- Directions for Use (if applicable)
- Test Reports
- Drawings
- Technical Reports
These documents are usually reviewed and approved by multiple people. Some of the reviewers may include your boss, quality, regulatory, and an independent reviewer. The goal of this is to ensure nothing is missed. Everything needs to be carefully reviewed before it officially launches to the customer. This is the last chance you have to catch any errors.
These approvers will vary by company and each will have their own process for releasing documents before launch.
It is best practice to include an independent reviewer. This person should have nothing to do with the project. The purpose is to get a fresh set of eyes on everything. Therefore, hopefully they will be able to catch anything that may have been overlooked by everyone else.
Details matter!
One time, I was asked to take over the Research and Development (R&D) engineering portion of a project when another engineer had left the company. This medical device was already on the market. The objective was to update the directions to add an indication for use. In other words, another part of the body that the physician would be allowed to use the device in.
All of the work was done and the team was getting ready to release the final documents to launch the change. My job was to review all of the documents and approve the change.
I started by reading over the updated directions for use. Then, I compared it to the current directions that were already on the market. I noticed that not only did the new directions add an indication, but they also accidentally removed one of the current indications. The update was supposed to only add a new part of the body the device could be used in, as opposed to removing an existing part.
I raised this issue to my boss and quality since this was a significant issue. It was also going to delay the launch. The directions are translated into a number of different languages because the device is used worldwide. Unfortunately, translating the directions can take months to update.
This minor error added months to the project.
However, it was better to catch it and fix it before we officially launched the change. As frustrated as the team was to delay launch a few months, it would have been much worse if the product was launched with the issue and a customer found it. That would be a much more costly and time consuming problem to fix. One which would include a recall and a lot of money of scrapped inventory.
Therefore, as an engineer, it is your job to evaluate all documents before they are officially launched to make sure nothing is missed. It helps to be detail oriented and take your time.
Also, you cannot be afraid to speak up. I felt sick when I found the error because I knew the ramifications to the project. As an engineer, you need to be confident to say something even if it causes delays.
Regulations
State, federal, and international governmental agencies all have different rules and regulations. Companies are required to comply with them if they want to sell a product in these areas. The purpose of these regulations is to set safety standards for products. Every country has their own rules and regulations you must comply with. These regulations vary by the industry you are in.
Here are the top 10 most highly regulated industries in the US:
Most companies will have a regulatory group if you are in a highly regulated industry. This group is dedicated to understanding all of the laws associated with a particular country. Engineering will work with regulatory throughout the project to get the data required.
Depending on the industry, some countries require a report to be approved before you can sell your product in that country. Before launch, regulatory may need the engineer’s help to create the regulatory report. This report will demonstrate compliance to their rules.
Therefore, regulations can impact your launch time.
For example, the regulatory agency overseeing medical devices in the United States is the Food an Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has different classifications they give to medical devices. These classifications dictate what the company is required to do in order to sell their device.
For instance, if a company wants to sell a class II medical device in the United States, the FDA requires a premarket submission. In other words, they require a report to be submitted to show compliance before you can sell the device in the USA. This report can take the FDA 90 days to review. Then, this may take longer if the FDA has questions about your report.
It is important to understand the role regulatory plays. If you have the opportunity, I recommend taking a regulatory course in college. Especially if you want to go into an industry that is highly regulated.
Sustaining
After a product launches, the work is not done, it is just beginning! Then, the product must be maintained in order to stay on the market. The Product Development Life Cycle includes the NPD process, but has another step, Sustaining.
Below are some of the tasks engineers do to maintain a product on the market:
- Addressing customer complaints
- Material changes and vendor changes
- Addressing regulatory changes
- Process/Manufacturing issues
- Cost improvements
- Addressing failures in the field
Launch Phase Case Study
Google Nest Secure was a great product, until customers discovered it had a hidden microphone inside that Google did not disclose to their customers! It was not advertised and it was not in the specifications for the product description.
Customers became aware of this when Google announced an update that would allow the product to have voice assist. Meaning, it already had the components for that capability.
During the launch phase, advertising and training the customer are very important. Customers are buying a product and putting their trust in it.
The description of the product and how it is marketed to the consumer cannot be overlooked. Otherwise, this could sabotage a perfectly great product, as it did with the Google Nest.
Google apologized and said that it was an accident. They also said they were not using the microphone to collect data. However, in the age we live in with concerns over privacy from smart devices, this is a big problem that could turn customers off.
Summary
To summarize, the engineer’s role in the Launch phase includes:
- Reviewing and approving all relevant documentation needed to make the change
- Working with regulatory for filings if applicable.
- Sustaining the product after launch
The Launch phase is the last chance you get to review all of the work put into the product to ensure it is correct. Therefore, it is important to have others review it as well to ensure a thorough review.
Engineers may support regulatory with their filings. Once the product launches, it needs to be sustained to remain on the market.
Now that you finished the ‘Role Of An Engineer’ Series, do you have a better understanding of the tasks engineers are responsible for? Were you surprised how different the tasks are depending on the phase you are in? Let me know in the comments below!