Successfully Using Outside Resources

With so many people working from home or remote locations, teams are challenged to complete the same amount of work that they are accustomed to.

This week, I'm sharing a strategy for using UpWork, GoLance, Fiverr, or freelancers for increasing engineering and design bandwidth.

It's all about setting remote workers up for success. If they feel unprepared or unsure about what success looks like, they will not succeed.

I'll help you accelerate your product development efforts by leveraging a scalable, globally-distributed engineering team.

How to use remote workers to increase efficiency of your engineering team

1. Define work that your engineering team creates, such as:

1. Concept sketches

2. Product design files

3. Prototype CAD

4. Physical Prototypes

5. Engineering CAD

6. Testing Fixtures

7. Documentation

8. File Translation

2. Define which tasks require direct input from on-site personnel. Assign these tasks to your engineering team

3. All other tasks can be completed by independent (remote) workers, for example:

1. Concept CAD Models

2. CAD Model Reviews

3. Drawing Creation

4. Drawing Review

5. Tolerance Analysis

6. Power Budget

7. FEA

8. Simulation

4. Carve tasks into discrete activities with clear and obvious success criteria:

1. Create engineering drawings from this 3D assembly

2. Create 3D engineering CAD from this concept sketch

**Leave no ambiguity about the expected deliverable.

5. Outsource work. (via Upwork, GoLance, Fiverr, freelancers, etc)

6. Task your engineers with reviewing work product from 2-3 individuals, and their efficiency will skyrocket.

**Bonus points: Provide inspection checklist for your remote workers to self-inspect their work prior to delivery. Save your engineering for value-added work

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