In episode 236 of China Manufacturing Decoded, Adrian is joined by Paul Adams from Agilian to discuss a problem that catches out many companies developing new hardware products:
Why do some projects stall before they even really start?
The product idea may be strong. The team may be motivated. There may even be a budget available. But progress slows, decisions become difficult, and the project starts to drift.
Listen, and you’ll learn:
- Why hardware projects often stall before development properly begins
- What “ready to start” really means in hardware product development
- Why a Product Requirements Document or Product Requirements Specification is so important
- How BOM issues, component availability, and regulatory surprises can derail a project
- The 10-point checklist Paul recommends before starting a hardware development project
- …and more
Listen here
Listen to the episode or watch on YouTube
Episode Sections:
- 00:03 — Intro & episode overview
- 01:01 — The “failure to launch” problem in hardware
- 02:01 — It’s not the team: real root causes
- 03:02 — Assumptions & missing information (core issue)
- 07:00 — Red flags: missing requirements & BOM
- 11:57 — What “ready to start” actually means
- 12:45 — NPI process & phase gates explained
- 14:22 — Specs as a living document (market changes
- 15:05 — Mechanical, electronics & feature requirements
- 17:34 — Volume assumptions & pricing impact
- 19:08 — The danger of rushing decisions
- 20:44 — Case study: prototyping failure under pressure
- 24:25 — Case study: component & supply chain risks
- 26:33 — Case study: regulatory & certification surprises
- 29:45 — The 10-point pre-start checklist
- 32:53 — Most common mistake
- 33:47 — Final takeaway
Further content
- Transitioning to Manufacturing from Product Development | 2 Options
- IP Protection in China when Developing Your New Product [Importer’s Guide]
- Bill of Materials (BoM) Explained
- Design to Cost (DTC) Explained
- Getting To Grips With Non-Recurring Engineering Costs (NRE) [Podcast]
- 11 Common Electronic Product Certification And Compliance Requirements
- Crowdfunding Failures: 4 Great Prototypes That Failed To Launch
- Learn more about how we handle DFM & Industrialization (NPI) for our manufacturing customers
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