Design Documentation

[dashdingo]

Hi, this is my first post to the forum. Nice to meet you all. Hopefully I'm posting this question in the right place.

I'm the only engineer for a very small startup, so I am essentially the entire engineering department. This is my first job as an electrical engineer and I am wrapping up a big project and mostly focusing on documentation at this point. My employer requested something and I'm not sure if it is standard practice to document this information, so I wanted to ask anyone who has experience with this.

What my employer asked for is basically a step-by-step procedure for how to design the analog hardware for our system, the idea being that when I am no longer working here, an engineer (or non-engineer) can pick up the manual and just design the hardware to different specifications like an expert. Everything about the system is already documented as far as parts, schematics, layouts, etc. but they want basically a "how-to for dummies" type of thing.

Is it typical to document a system with that sort of information?
I feel like it's not, but, like I said, this is my first job as an engineer.

Thanks

 

[IRstuff]

Is there a specification document for the analog hardware, i.e., is there something that tells the designer what the specific requirements are, and if he used that, would he have a finished design that functions at least as well as the one you designed? If so, then the documentation is done, so long as the specification document is sufficiently clear that any comparably experienced engineer will read out the same requirements. Often, a specification interpretation document is required to clarify, detail, or provide baseline assumptions for the actual specification document.

A design tutorial is not generally required, but your employer is the boss, andthe boss gets what he wants, usually. Given the size of your company, having you detail the exact steps involved in creating your design is simply good practice; if you were to somehow, suddenly disappear, or get injured, that documentation then becomes extremely important.

That said, you should disabuse your management from thinking that a non-engineer, or even just a non-EE could do a decent design or even a design change, unless it was absolutely fool-proof.

TTFN
faq731-376

 

[KENAT]

Having a design log recording why a design was done a certain way, summary of analysis/testing etc. to back up decisions made for future reference etc. is a great idea. It's the kind of thing that is often paid lip service to but that management rarely want to invest much time into.

Having some kind of design guide/process to walk you through the design process if it's a fairly repeatable task may also have merit. This wouldn't be documentation of the specific project so much as a company/design office process or similar.

However, as IRstuff alludes to, if this design guide is used to substitute for engineering judgement, then you're in sticky territory.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[CIRHS]

Having a step by step design log or proof of design is good. You will sometimes also find alternative designs paths that you might have overlooked. Its not a common practice. Few of my customer require a proof of design.

I work in valve instrumentation and control for oil/gas and I did a design guide for the sales team so that they can quickly quote budgetary jobs and help them understand valve automation and control instrumentation a bit better.

However its not something that they can go off to give official quotes to the customer. As you all know specs change all the time from site to site and application.

At the end of the day if the boss wants it, do it. But tell him its a guide only not a bible .

Put a little foot note on every page.

This is a guide only. All designs should be confirmed with the engineering department.