Objective:
To inform the evaluation team of major vendor management
practices that help assure a qualified ASIC, delivered within the
required time and cost constraints.
In this guide, we recommend that the evaluation team base the
management review on the company's organizational structure,
business plan, work force, facilities, and equipment. Company
policies, strategies for growth, and future direction are also strong
considerations in vendor management evaluation. The important
task of management evaluation verifies that the existing
management structure can adequately deal with the needs of a high-
reliability procurement. Furthermore, the review determines if the
company has sufficient organizational depth to stay in the high
reliability market during the anticipated procurement period.
Reviewing the organization at the top level provides insights into the
company's operation and management structure. The organization
review determines whether the company can produce high quality,
reliable parts and that the management is capable of, and committed
to, meeting both cost and schedule.
CORPORATE STRUCTURE:
We suggest the evaluating team becomes familiar with the ASIC
vendor's corporate structure. Consider the influence of the corporate
office on its design and fabrication facilities in day-to-day operations.
A corporate office may pressure a manufacturing facility to change
priorities during the development of your ASIC, causing a serious
delay. If several different facilities will be used for your ASIC
development work, then check out their locations, interactions, and
means of communications. Poor management in these areas could
also cause a delay in delivery.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART:
Request a copy of the company's program management
organizational chart and the process flow they will use to manage the
ASIC development. The program's process flow will help you
understand the steps through which an ASIC development moves; it
also verifies that appropriate procedures are in place and that timely
technical and management skills are available to resolve various
issues as they occur during the development cycle. Note the
programmatic lines of authority and descriptions of appropriate
departments, such as quality assurance, reliability, fabrication,
assembly, test, screening, etc., as well as the functions,
responsibilities, and interaction of their key technical personnel.
Clarify the program manager's responsibilities and authority to both
manage and control the resources and subcontractors needed for
optimum contract performance. A company's resources consist of
personnel, financial status, and facilities, etc.
Obtain a detailed technology plan from the vendor. This plan should
illustrate the company's goals and policies towards future ASIC
technology. Take particular note of their plans for ASIC technology
included in your requirements--i.e. rad hard, low power, etc.; major
line of business; commitment to ASICs versus off-the-shelf devices;
upgrades; upcoming device technologies; process; and CAD tools.
PLANS, GOALS, AND POLICIES:
This review examines the commitment and future direction of a
vendor towards rad hard ASICs and evaluates both the potential
long- and short-term business goals. It also ascertains if the vendor
has plans to discontinue the process and associated tools you need to
use during your ASIC development cycle.
REVENUES AND FINANCIAL STATUS:
"The important task of management evaluation verifies
that the existing management structure can adequately deal with the
needs of a high-reliability procurement."
Checking revenues and the company's financial status assures that
vendor financial problems are not likely to jeopardize your ASIC
program. Review the company's annual reports for the last three
years to determine the revenues generated by the various categories
of products and industries, such as defense, space, commercial, etc.
Also review financial statements including bank references and
established lines of credit for the past three years. Independent
agencies such as Dun & Bradstreet also offer another source for
checking the company's financial soundness.
Procurement organizations have a set of rules and regulations that
must meet the formal Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). The vendor
must abide by these rules and regulations once you award a contract.
Work to resolve issues with the vendor, thereby avoiding future
contractual problems.
We also recommend that you review the vendor's marketing goals
and strategies to determine if they are compatible with your ASIC
program. Most high-reliability ASIC contracts are low volume and,
therefore, relatively low dollar value to a vendor. Find reasons,
other than financial, for the vendor to work with you. This will help
ensure the vendor's long-term commitment to your ASIC program.
Learn the vendor's marketing goals and strategies and try to position
your ASICs within them. If you fail to do this, the vendor marketing
group may move to put your contract on lower priority or abandon it
in favor of another contract that meets their goals.
"Visit a vendor's facilities to get first-hand knowledge of
their capabilities."
The personnel, facilities, and equipment review shows how these
elements contribute to the vendor's ability to meet the technical
challenges of your ASIC program. This review also offers first-hand
knowledge of the personnel performing the work, enabling the
design team to contact them directly should the need arise.
Make sure the vendor provides a list that both describes the
facilities, personnel, and equipment that will be needed for the ASIC
program and clearly states availability. The vendor should describe
the engineering, fabrication, assembly, and test facilities in detail.
Make sure the description includes size of the facilities, location,
planned availability, and corporate commitment to these facilities.
The vendor must have contingency plans to address potential
conflicts regarding facility availability.
Visit the vendor's facilities to get first-hand knowledge of their
capabilities. Identify all the proposed key management and technical
personnel, then review their rŽsumŽs. Learn about the vendor's
tool-based design methodology: What platform is it based on?
Where do software tools originate? What is written in-house? What
is purchased? Have the vendor discuss the capabilities and
availability of a technical group for supporting your designers.
The evaluating team should also find out the vendor's line
qualification and certification status, such as under the Qualified
Manufacturers List (QML) or the Qualified Products List (QPL). Chapter 2 of this section, "Quality
and Reliability Analysis," discusses QML and QPL.
IN-HOUSE WORK
Understand the vendor's capabilities to design, layout, fabricate,
assemble, test, and screen the ASIC part in-house. Know how much,
if any, of the work that the vendor plans to subcontract. Evaluate
the vendor's ability to manage and control the subcontracted work.
Make certain that good communication exists between the vendor
and subcontractor and that there are no conflicts on the amount of
work to be done or on delivery schedules. Following these steps will
help ensure reliable, quality subcontract work.
The best way to verify a vendor's capabilities is to check references.
Past performance provides the company's history in delivering
ASICs. Review recent experience in fabricating and testing devices of
similar complexity and technology of your ASICs.
When you contact a customer of the ASIC vendor, you want get a
strong impression that the vendor established the correct kind of
relationship with that customer. Determine this by simply asking the
customer if they would select that vendor to do an ASIC similar to
yours.
Get a list of ASICs the vendor has fabricated. Along with that list,
obtain complete part descriptions, contacts at the ASICs' buyer
organizations, and dates of development and manufacture. The part
descriptions should include the type of ASIC (gate array /standard
cell, etc.) and the technology used (1um, 1.5um, etc.).
We recommend asking the vendor to provide sample products.
Check out the vendor's product delivery, failure analysis, and quality
assurance track record. Make sure they can provide process
information about levels of radiation hardening, maturity, stability,
life-test data, field returns, etc.
Examining schedules for past projects helps verify the feasibility of
the targeted delivery schedule for your ASIC. Reviewing schedules
also aids in evaluating whether the vendor can devote the resources
necessary to meet your schedule. Past schedules for similar
procurements to the proposed ASIC should show whether the vendor
stayed on target for important milestones.
Estimated costs for developing your ASIC provide a framework for
internal budgeting and for cost comparison with other vendors. The
estimates must account for non-recurring engineering (NRE)
chargesas well as required quantities of the part. Ask the vendor to
provide a history of costs for similar projects to yours.
Summary
- Develop a list of several government-approved ASIC vendors, to
prevent legal problems over noncompetitive single-source bids.
- Pay close attention to the top level organization review. This
review assures that the management is both capable of and
committed to meeting cost and schedule, and that the company can
produce high quality, reliable parts.
- Request a copy of the program management organization chart
that the company will use to manage the ASIC development.
- Make sure you obtain a detailed business plan from the
vendor.
- Make sure the vendor provides a list showing both a description
and the availability of facilities, personnel, and equipment that will
be needed for the ASIC program.
- The evaluating team should also find out the vendor's line
qualification and certification status, such as under QML or QPL.
- Verify a vendor's capabilities by checking references.
Now you may jump to: