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21. Why Unplanned CAD Architecture Makes Design Changes Expensive

21. Why Unplanned CAD Architecture Makes Design Changes Expensive

by Steve Donnigan | Oct 28, 2026 | Design & Development, Engineering Leadership & Outsourcing, Medical Device

Almost any reasonable computer-aided design (CAD) structure can get a development team through its first prototype. However, the real test comes later. Requirements change. Suppliers introduce new components. Interfaces move. Product variants appear. Meanwhile, more...
20. When Mechanical Architecture Makes Failures Harder to Diagnose

20. When Mechanical Architecture Makes Failures Harder to Diagnose

by Steve Donnigan | Oct 21, 2026 | Design & Development, Engineering Leadership & Outsourcing, Medical Device

Mechanical architecture decisions are usually driven by familiar priorities: performance, packaging, cost, manufacturability, assembly, reliability, and interfaces. Verification comes later, once the design is mature enough for teams to define detailed protocols and...
19. When a Design Works at Nominal but Fails in Production

19. When a Design Works at Nominal but Fails in Production

by Steve Donnigan | Oct 13, 2026 | Design & Development, Engineering Leadership & Outsourcing, Medical Device

One of the biggest differences between early-career engineers and experienced product developers has very little to do with technical ability. It comes down to expectations. Young engineers naturally expect parts to look like the CAD model. Experienced engineers...
18. The Most Expensive Decision Before Prototype 1

18. The Most Expensive Decision Before Prototype 1

by Steve Donnigan | Sep 18, 2026 | Design & Development, Engineering Leadership & Outsourcing, Medical Device

Some development programs encounter expensive tooling changes, failed verification testing, supplier problems, regulatory delays, or manufacturing inefficiencies right when they’re almost at the finish line.. Many of the conditions that create those costs were...
12. When Engineering Outsourcing Accelerates Development — and When It Slows It Down

12. When Engineering Outsourcing Accelerates Development — and When It Slows It Down

by Steve Donnigan | Apr 24, 2026 | Engineering Leadership & Outsourcing

Outsourcing is often presented as a straightforward way to move faster. If a program needs more speed, add external resources. If specialized expertise is missing, bring in a partner. If timelines are tight, increase capacity. Sometimes this works exactly as intended....
10. Why Strong Engineering Teams Still Miss Development Milestones — and What Actually Causes It

10. Why Strong Engineering Teams Still Miss Development Milestones — and What Actually Causes It

by Steve Donnigan | Apr 6, 2026 | Engineering Leadership & Outsourcing

Strong engineering teams still miss milestones. Many medical device companies have excellent engineers, experienced quality groups, and significant investment in development programs. Yet milestones still slip. This pattern appears across organizations of every size....
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Recent Posts

  • 21. Why Unplanned CAD Architecture Makes Design Changes Expensive
  • 20. When Mechanical Architecture Makes Failures Harder to Diagnose
  • 19. When a Design Works at Nominal but Fails in Production
  • 18. The Most Expensive Decision Before Prototype 1
  • 17. GD&T as a Communication System, Not a Drawing Requirement

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