Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for embedded systems companies.
A checklist built from how embedded systems companies work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Statements of work and quotes
- Requirements and change requests
- Hardware revisions and BOM
- Firmware releases
- Prototype builds and serials
- Bring-up and test log
- Engineer time and milestones
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For project leads
- For firmware and hardware engineers
- For test engineers
- For account managers
- For accounts
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Effort against plan by project and work package
- Change requests raised, approved and billed
- Open and verified defects by firmware release and board revision
- Prototype lots with serials, fitted parts and bench status
- Milestones closed and awaiting invoice
- Oscilloscopes and programmers due for calibration
- Quotes won and lost by customer and project type
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Messaging
- Accounting export
- Source repository links
- Spreadsheet import
- Document storage
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can it show which firmware a board runs?
- How are late requests priced?
- Can we run fixed price and hourly projects?
- Does it replace our code repository?
- What about our lab equipment?
- Can customers log in?
- Can past projects be loaded?
- How is it priced, and can I see it first?
- What if our process changes?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Mixed-up revisions
- Scope creep unnoticed
- Prototype lots untraced
- Hours without projects
- Test findings lost in chat
Prefer to talk it through? See the embedded systems companies page.