When you're short on time what are some things that help you save time on projects?

I have a long list of things i listen to but S&M is one my absolute favourites

Absolutely!!!

Nicole Fusz wrote:

 

I completely agree with the music comment - in fact Pandora is my soundtrack daily!

 

Nicole

Metallica S&M

And you can never loose with AC/DC

All of these comments are great and hit so close to home!  Thanks for your adding your feedback everyone!

I completely agree with the music comment - in fact Pandora is my soundtrack daily!

Nicole

All good info and I think I've used most of these mentioned as well.

One more that I have not seen mentioned yet - when a test fails one must accept that "Human Error" is most likely the cause. Far too often I have seen arrogance stand in the way and people waste time replacing parts, software, or anything but checking their own work (and I'm guilty of it as well). So remember after replacing that Zener for the 3rd time, you probably forgot the current limiting resistor

I also want to echo DAB on "No changes are free". That one is HUGE. I've seen companies collapse because of this.

And YT2095

but the best of all, is to Never allow yourself to get into a position where Time is the issue

I do understand that there must be deadlines, but within reason. I have worked weekends, lost time with family, and even holidays to push a project through to meet the demands of the customer. Then I would call a week or two later to see how the project worked out and if it meet their expectations only to hear them tell me "We haven't had a chance to try it yet".

I've come to despise the "Gotta have it now" attitude. So If the customer is too demanding I turn them away - and I have plenty of work.

I completely agree.

I should have added this one to my list.  There is no substitute for having a well laid out test plan and fully functioning test program with complete documentation so that you can work throught the issues and resolve major problems at the earliest possible time.

I must be getting old, I keep forgetting these important details.

DAB

Upon further reflection, I'd like to add that developing good documentation habits can be a useful time saver.  Take notes of measurements, test equipment set ups, annotate schematics, comment code blocks by function and on individual lines whose purpose is not self evident, take photographs or videos of important configurations, or fault conditions.  Documentation extends to placing meaningful labels on cables (at both ends), careful routing of wire bundles and disciplined file organization on a computer or in a file cabinet.

There have been times when I solved a problem, then some time later encountered the same or similar problem and all I remembered was that I had somehow fixed it in the past.  Once I started taking extensive lab notes, with empahsis on the "ah-ha!" events, I found my productivity went up because I could flip through a written or photographic record rather than rely on firing a twisted knot of neurons somewhere deep in my brain to recall the solution.

Mark A.

It occurred to me today that the FTDI USB-to-serial chips have saved me a huge amount of time over the years. Sure, in the final solution they are more expensive than a micro and custom USB stack, but for runs of <1000 then they are cost-effective. The fact that they are available with a tiny 0.1" header dev board is invaluable.

I'm just a hobbyist but I would definitely say it is best to be organized. Mind you my shop is generally in a state of disarray, but I find that when i have cleaned up my work area and  gathered my parts, plans, and tools; i work far mor efficiently. I also like to have music playing; I don't no if this just psychaloglicy make the work go quicker of it it just helps drown out any other distractions.

Bruce