Our Approach

Our philosophy is simple: We are dedicated to your success. We are committed to understanding your needs and meeting your expectations. Typical challenges take us through any or all product development stages, from technology assessment, to early proof of concept, and from product development to new manufacturing processes.

Our approach to your success involves these key factors:

Understanding Your Needs

It's important that we understand the needs behind all product development projects: the clients' needs, the market's needs, and those of the end-user. This understanding begins in our earliest discussions with you, and continues through proposal development. Understanding your history, your assumptions, and your ultimate objective is essential to defining a set of reasonable requirements and criteria to evaluate the different avenues that the product development can take. We'll ask the right questions because we've been through the process and have the experience.

Defining Quantitative and Qualitative Requirements

Embarking on development without a comprehensive set of requirements and constraints can lead to unnecessary development costs and ill-guided decisions. Often the requirements are a compromise between what is needed and what is possible. We can help you arrive at that compromise and identify what requirements need to be defined before proceeding with the development.

Technology Roadmapping

SRI's multidisciplinary teams stay on top of the latest technological advances, and many times are responsible for those advances themselves. We apply advanced technologies to a product's design so that it meets market and user demands, which also allows us to map the technologies for the next generation of products.

Early Simulation and Prototyping

Early simulation and prototyping can result in important cost savings during product development. Our approach emphasizes identification of essential design issues that are not apparent during the concept phase. We utilize the latest simulation tools and have access to rapid prototyping facilities.

Testing and Validation

Product specifications are rigorously tested in our facilities, and results are scientifically evaluated. Our user-centered testing lab allows us to collect qualitative and quantitative data on how the product is being used. Our team gathers this data and makes iterative improvements on the product until it meets or exceeds the initial requirements analysis.

Multidisciplinary Strength

A key component of innovation and effective product development is to have a set of diverse perspectives and skills under one roof. Our engineers not only cover the different engineering disciplines, but also have diverse experiences and backgrounds in a wide variety of industries.

Concurrent Engineering and Design

Concurrent engineering reduces the total product development time by addressing all aspects of a product's life cycle early in its design, including marketing, manufacturing, assembly, packaging, disposal, and recycling. Design for manufacturability and assembly are part of our process. The design teams are put together to cover all aspects of the product development, and agile communication is fostered all through the project. In our environment, designers work side by side with the machine shop staff, scientists, and business consultants.

Project Management

Effective management and leadership are essential in product development. Our organization understands the importance of effective management in successfully meeting product development milestones, budgets, and timelines. We are structured and trained to manage and lead complex projects involving multiple disciplines and outsourcing. We channel our technical expertise and knowledge through an effective project management structure.