Integrating compliance at the early stages of your process minimises cost and impact. It can often make design decisions easier and result in a more smoothly running project and a better product.
When should compliance start? In theory, you could start on day one, when you write the project requirements. This could be as simple as picking the relevant standards and understanding whether there are any specific ones that apply to your type of device. Moving forwards, it is useful (but not essential) to have an overview of the requirements in the standards at the proof-of-concept stage, purely to avoid missing an essential feature or wasting time on a solution that can never be realised.
After alpha testing, when beta design starts, it really is time to design for compliance – failure to do so by this point is likely to result in time and resources being wasted on impracticable designs. For example, the electrical class and environmental conditions of your product will have major implications for its materials and overall construction. This means that you need to have a thorough understanding of the requirements in the applicable standards and be able to implement them.
If the project requires testing by notified bodies, now is a good time to involve them – from discussing your approach at the start, to having a design review before you commit to prototypes. You can then use this information to make informed decisions about everything from the PCB layout and component selection to the mechanical design, materials, labelling and manual.
At the final stages of beta testing, when optimisation and any required changes are finished, we recommend a final design review. This would involve submitting a beta prototype and the design files for assessment, possibly alongside a small selection of high-risk ‘look-see’ tests (for example EMC).
Having addressed any outstanding issues, you will need to submit your preproduction prototypes for full testing, or specific tests if self-certifying. Integrating type testing early into the process should present a substantially lower risk.
Delaying planning for compliance can lead to difficulties later in the production process, such as certification failures and redesigns. Getting started no later than early in beta testing should allow for smooth progression and an evolving design, with no unpleasant surprises.