All posts filed under: Technical

Bill of Materials – Creation and Control

Published by Joe

Ever look at something and wonder how they keep track of all those parts? Or how about when you see two products, almost identical, but with slightly different labels and wonder how they keep track of the differences? This is the world of the Bill of Materials (or BoM for short, though don’t use that word in public spaces). With only this document, any manufacturer, anywhere, could (in theory*) rebuild the exact product specified within. * Clearly they would need the source files for PCBs, plastics, software, etc.… What Is a Bill of Materials (BoM) and What is it Used For A BoM is a document, which may be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or as fancy as an Oracle Agile database, but in the end, it is a document that lays out what parts are used to assemble a product, how many, and a way to identify them. Before we get too deep, we need to define a few terms; your company or tool may call them something different, but speak of the same …

Importance of Version Control for All the Work You Do

Published by Joe

In your Documents folder do you have a Final-Report-V1, Final-Report-vFinal, Final-Report-vFinal-Johns-comments, etc.? How about the experience of having worked on a software assignment all night long, only to have something, somewhere cause a crash minutes before it is due? Then you have seen a glimpse of the importance of version control to your company, and more importantly, to your career. The Importance As a student, backups and constantly saving files was a personal CYA, and unless you were working on a team, a lost file only hurt you. You also had the generous benefit that when the term was done, you could burn, delete, kill, or otherwise maim any document you had spent so much time on and have no repercussions. Now, as the professional you, there is much more at stake when a file goes missing or bugs creep in at the last moment. While there is a large amount of personal CYA that benefits of good use of version control, the company has a legal and financial obligation to keep good records and …