Objective: To explain bottom-up design principles to Duro users.
Difficulty: Easy
In this article:
Overview: value and purpose
A bottom-up approach is frequently used in software engineering and computer science. It refers to the process of building products and assemblies from the ground up, starting at the most fundamental level and subsequently progressing to more complex units higher in the assembly. Duro encourages users to build their library according to the bottom-up design for a variety of reasons, namely because it catalyzes accurate testing, streamlined efficiency, and creative collaboration.
Benefits: testing, efficiency, and collaboration
There are many benefits to working according to this design scheme. Bottom-up is best for new or heavily experimental products as it allows for testing early on in development, enabling users to catch problems long before they materialize in prototyping or production of the entire product. Ultimately, this prevents small issues from morphing into larger issues at a higher-level. As smaller parts are more easily managed and understood, this is beneficial for every stage of the product's lifecycle.
Efficiency is also a benefit of working in a bottom-up design format. Working incrementally in bite-sized pieces allows teams to effectively channel time and energy, thus minimizing redundancy and facilitating faster innovation. Overall, this process builds well-tested, reliable products.
Additionally, adhering to a bottom-up design encourages collaboration between members of your team. This workflow empowers teams to invent targeted solutions for specific problems rather than using abstract ideas as a crutch. More ideas are circulated and more tools are utilized, including more people in decision making and engendering more commitment between people and the project. This also leverages maximum creativity, as each project gets adequate attention and each team member gets a platform to share their ideas.
Workflow diagram
In a bottom-up workflow, teams focus on the lowest level first, following a workflow similar to the progression outlined below:
- Design and implement bottom-level components
- Test bottom-level components
- Integrate bottom-level components
- Design and implement top-level components
- Test top-level components
- Integrate top-level components
- Test the entire product
In the workflow diagram pictured above, this is the progression engineers would follow:
- First level: Components 1, 2, 3
- Second level: Component 4, Engineering Bill of Materials (EBOM), Printed Circuit Board (PCB), Component 5
- Third level: Sub-Assembly 1, Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA), Component 6
- Fourth level: Sub-Assembly 2, Sub-Assembly 3, Sub-Assembly 4
- Fifth level: Top Level Assembly
- Sixth level: Product
There are many variations and forms that this workflow can take, and this workflow is by no means encapsulating of all scenarios. Within each level, items can be built in any order.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.