Creating a Qualification Framework can pay-off big as your product matures

We can’t under-estimate the power of a well laid-out qualification process. We’ve all heard about DVT, the Design Verification Process step that puts one’s product through several testing requirements; but a comprehensive qualification plan requires more than DVT.

My professional experience has shown that  a 3 steps qualification process: EVT, DVT and PMT allows a much more thorough qualification. These acronyms can be stated differently in different organizations, but they have about the same meaning:

• EVT is for the early stages of product development, when the product is still somewhat imature; for example, for an electronic assembly, one can choose to conduct EVT on just the PCBAs before they are mated to the main system.
• DVT is for a more mature stage of product development, when the product is complete and functional.
• PMT is the final qualification step where customer systems and aplications are involved and the product is ready to ship.