Our Project Philosophy

SEA's project philosophy is to provide for our clients the best technical solutions and highest quality available within the constraints of project budget and schedule. We do not see projects merely as technical or engineering driven only, but rather as a multidiscipline turnkey approach, involving multiple stake holders and multiple client input on each of the project baselines of schedule, cost, quality and engineering/technical.

SEA project managers are all former engineers and spend more time developing an up front understanding of the priorities of the product or service to be provided. We create within our minds a "mental model" of the project from the perspective of client intent, client needs, client budget and schedule, client quality requirements and client operations. SEA project managers do not waver from this model without authorization from the client manager to do so.

We all know there are many ways to solve most engineering problems, but only a few ways to solve client problems within the boundaries of project constraints. SEA project managers push the engineering team members to find those solutions. SEA project managers take a "systematic and deliberate" approach to managing projects both internal and external. Projects are typically broken down into "Phases" (typically four or five) with exit criteria for each phase. Typical phases for prototype development would be as follows:

Phase 1 Preliminary Engineering Design

Exit Criteria Phase 1 Client Acceptance of technical documentation, revised cost and schedule forecasts

Phase 2 Detail Engineering Design; prepurchase of long lead items

Exit criteria Phase 2 Client Acceptance of technical documentation, revised cost and schedule forecasts

Phase 3 Procurement, Manufacturing of prototype(s); Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)

Exit criteria Phase 3 Client Acceptance of FAT, revised engineering, cost and schedule forecasts for volume production (if necessary), revisions to documentation as necessary.

Phase 4 Volume manufacturing for volume products or Deployment and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) for one-of-a-kind products such as machines or industrial tooling

Exit criteria Phase 4 Client Acceptance of SAT

Phase 5 As built documentation as necessary and warranty period

Exit criteria Phase 5 Satisfactory operation of system or machine or product for the warranty period.

This phasing can and will be modified based on the requirements of a given project. Smaller, less capital intensive projects may not need such checks and balances at phase boundaries, however some exit criteria must be defined in the beginning of the project. More capital intense projects may require phases (phases for other subsystems and for final integration) or more boundary criteria required (such as input from client environmental or safety groups). Each phase boundary will typically have some payment milestone associated with it as well.

This systematic and deliberate methodology and the review of all constraining baselines at each phase boundary is intended to protect the client from cost and schedule over runs and minimize the clients risk. Additionally, should the client wish to place the project on hold for more favorable market conditions, the phase boundaries provide convenient points in the time line to minimize ramp down costs presently and ramp up costs later.

Tim Howell P.E.

President

Sigmoid Engineering Associates, LLC