Online Collaboration Tools

There are a number of online collaboration tools out there today and I am curious if anyone has used them in IC design projects. If you have been using collaborative tools I would like to hear what you used, how you used it and how it improved your projects. Below is my list of web based collaboration tools that I am aware of.

http://www.basecamphq.com/
http://www.near-time.net/
http://huddle.net/
http://www.jointcontact.com/
http://www.mindquarry.com/
http://www.xplanner.org/
http://www.mindmeister.com/

Six Simple Rules of Managing IC Design

Here are six simple rules to consider when managing IC design projects:

1. Commit only after doing your homework. Be creative, be aggressive, keep your vision broad and commit only when you have a means to get there.
2. Keep a keen eye out for the unknown. It is always there, waiting to disrupt your plan.
3. Are things progressing as planned, or is a correction to the plan and/or deliverables in order?
4. Verbalized plans, instructions and decisions should never be considered communicating. Write it down to keep it crisp, concise, thorough and communicated.
5. Leave no room for ambiguity or interpretation in your requirements for success. Say what you need.
6. Due diligence on plans and schedules will reinforce predictability for your design project.

If you want to learn more about managing IC design teams check out the PDF download for a "Managing Excellence in Design Team Execution" seminar.

The Basics of Design Delays

Why does a project end up late? In my experience it comes down to the possibilities outlined below. In reality there is evidence of a touch of all of these on just about any project. Some projects weigh in heavier on some than others.

• Uncontrolled scope expansion (feature creep).
• Ineffective task planning detail.
  
• Disconnects between task deliverable and receivable expectations.
• Undefined or under-defined tasks or information requirements.
• Lack of effective risk mitigation strategies.

Any project delay I have seen can be attributed to one or more of these project deficiencies. Do you believe that it is this simple? This is all stuff that can be easily minimized. Why isn't it being done? Not enough time. I here this all the time and it amazes me how frequently this reason is used. There is always time to do it again but there is never time to do it right. Are you ready to take a stand for the right way to do design? I would like to here if you have been successful in doing this and the project results you have achieved by doing so.

Schedule vs. Quality

Many times through the life of a project we are forced to make a decision where we cut corners and add risk to quality or stand firm and say "It's just going to be later than we wanted". These decision are never easy and the pressures to take the fast route are usually pretty intense. When I am faced with a decision such as this it is important for me to step back and scope it from a time to production standpoint, not from a time to tapeout position.

Making a decision based on a near term milestone, such as tapeout can be very deceiving. If the decision to trim a step in the interest of meeting a tapeout adds significant risk to the ability of sampling first silicon, you are really deciding on the possibility of adding another spin in the time to production. This can easily add 2-3 months to the production schedule.

How do you handle these schedule vs. quality decisions and has has it worked or failed for you?