In this critical first stage of close collaboration with our customers, we translate your concept into a workable Technical Specification. A Product Requirements Document and full Statement of Work emerges. This is a crucial gate where we work with you to determine the initial specifications of what your product is going to look like, act like, feel like, cost, and how long it will take to get to market. This is where we identify the potential risks, challenges and opportunities of the project as well. Our engineers may also be able to offer suggestions or ideas in this phase that will take your product to new levels of science and imagination.
Once we agree on the design objectives (HLA) it’s time to start turning ideas into reality. Led by a Professional Project Manager, our cross functional teams will launch Mechanical Design, Circuit Design, PC Board layout, Software Integration, and System Level Architecture for your product. From this phase the first prototype emerges. During this part of the design process we will execute multiple design reviews, which of course include our customer, and apply DFx principals at every milestone along the way. To Cypher Scientific DFx means Design for Excellence.
We exit the design phase and enter working prototype with functional validation to be executed on the first new design prototype(s). It is here that we build in and/or validate all of the DFx imperatives. That means HALT/HASS testing, regulatory and compliance testing, safety evaluation, and of course the design of a manufacturing system and stabilization of the supply chain. We develop the deliverables so that the product can be properly documented, produced, tested, packaged, and delivered on time, at the proper cost, with the highest possible quality and performance. It is possible that the prototype will iterate in this phase in order to reach production readiness. We will deliver (in part);
Cypher Scientific can stay with the product to supervise the transition to manufacturing for any customer that requires it. Our manufacturing professionals will closely supervise the manufacturing sub-contractors until all product yield and target numbers are met. We can also partner with you to provide steady-state manufacturing management so that quality, yield and configuration management are maintained at the highest possible levels.
As a guiding principal to our entire design process, Cypher Scientific is committed to Six Sigma principals. We have a Six Sigma Black Belt trained by the American Society for Quality on staff and all of our team members are required to attend Six Sigma training on a recurring basis. Keep in mind that Six Sigma represents the pursuit of perfection. A Six Sigma process aims to maintain quality levels of 99.9999968% or less than 3.2 defects per million opportunities, and sometimes even that’s not enough!
The heart of the Six Sigma mantra is the DMAIC process, and we keep it front and center at all times. The DMAIC project methodology has five phases:
Cypher Scientific does not just design for Excellence, we Design for Perfection!