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Please Read: An Important RoadTest Program Change

rscasny

This is the third virtual "fireside chat" that I'm writing regarding the RoadTest Program. For this one, I'd like to roll out a RoadTest Program change and explain why the change is occurring.

 

To start, I'd like to share a snippet of an email I received yesterday from a vendor who participates in the RoadTest Program:

 

"We received only 13% reviews back from the RoadTests we sponsored in 2016. I would like to know the status of each of these roadtests. Are the missing reviews still being pursued? I would also like to know if the members that failed to post a review are now being flagged so we do not chose them again."

 

It was not pleasant to respond to. I had to eat "humble pie," as we say in the US, when I responded to this vendor.

 

To solve the problem, I decided I don't want to go down the road of suspending members from the RoadTest program. Suspensions sound too much like the hard rules of the military. I was in the Navy for 10 years and I didn't like tough rules back then, but I knew they were necessary given the reality of uncomfortable shipboard conditions and potentially dangerous operations we were participating in.

 

But this is a community. It should be a place to have some fun, meet new people, network professionally, be a mentor, or get mentored. Suspending people just is the wrong road to follow.

 

The way I've chosen to resolve the problem is the program change.

 

RoadTest application reports will soon include whether a specific applicant has completed all of his/her previous RoadTest reviews. I'm told by our developers this is very easy to do. We will provide this information to the vendor with a RoadTester's application. The supplier will make the decision where to select the RoadTester or not. Given the above comment by the supplier, I think the answer is self-evident.

 

Now, this change will probably cause me more work. If someone were flagged, I will have to check to see if that person is on a current RoadTest and it's before the due date of the official review. I surely don't want to penalize a conscientious RoadTester. I will also have to ensure there are not any extenuating circumstances that have caused the person not to write the review, i.e., sickness, family issues.

 

I am ambivalent about this whole thing. There are many RoadTesters who are doing a fantastic job. But a 13% success rate is not successful. I really have no choice but to implement this change.

 

Sincerely,

 

Randall Scasny

RoadTest Program Manager

Parents

  • Hi Randall,

     

    I was lucky to be selected for some roadtests in the past. What I noticed, at least it is my impression, that roadtests became more and more big projects and would take too much time for me to finish. It also became a contest of who would make the most genious and biggest project out of it. (again, my impression of it) So I stopped applying because it is a hobby for me, and not my daily job.

     

    Will you take this into consideration too?

     

    I always liked the idea of the roadtest ...

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Reinoud

Reply

  • Hi Randall,

     

    I was lucky to be selected for some roadtests in the past. What I noticed, at least it is my impression, that roadtests became more and more big projects and would take too much time for me to finish. It also became a contest of who would make the most genious and biggest project out of it. (again, my impression of it) So I stopped applying because it is a hobby for me, and not my daily job.

     

    Will you take this into consideration too?

     

    I always liked the idea of the roadtest ...

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Reinoud

Children
  • in reply to reinouddelange

    Hi Reinoud,

     

    Take a look at my blog on testing.

     

    Each device presented to Element 14 can be viewed in two different perspectives.

     

    You use the Road Test Proposal to identify which type of testing you will do and what answers you hope to provide the vendors and the Element 14  community.

     

    From my perspective, Road Testing is not about complex testing, but about assessing the device for applications within the Element 14 domain.

     

    Focused testing is always useful to both the manufacturer and the community.

     

    So think about what you can do with the equipment you have.  I pass on many road test opportunities as my time and test equipment is limited.  I apply for those that can provide me with a useful component for my own projects that fall within my interest and testability capabilities.

     

    So be innovative, consider what you CAN do and apply.

     

    Not every road test is about elaborate testing.

     

    Sometimes, the vendor just wants someone to verify that the device is easy to use and works well in simple maker applications.  They need this feedback to review their own procedures and expectations of the device working in unexpected applications so that they can show potential customers the versatility of the device.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to reinouddelange

    A road test isn't supposed to be a contest. Don't stop applying, Reinoud.

    i have been selected a few times with a minimalist , focused entry.

  • in reply to reinouddelange

    Reinoud,

     

    I'm glad you posted this. I think it is helpful to take a step back and ask, What is a RoadTest?

     

    It's surely not a design challenge.

     

    A roadtest is a product review. We give you a product, you take it, conduct startup tests, conduct some experiments so you can give the reader of your review an objective opinion of the product. A roadTest is not necessarily a new product prototype thing. Of course, if you can pull it off in 60 days, that is great. I read RoadTest apps all the time that are these long manifestos of something they are going to build. And I ask myself: can someone who is a full time student or full time professional complete some long involved project in 60 evenings? I'm always leery of someone who promises the world in his or her application. No, it does not need to be a big project. You may have gotten that impression in the past, but that's not how I make recommendations. So, please continue to apply and participate in the program. Tell me something you are going to do with it that would be useful to anyone who would use the product. That's what we're looking for.

     

    Randall Scasny

    RoadTest Program Manager

  • in reply to reinouddelange

    Hello Reinoud,

     

    your assertion is partially correct. The other members that answered you are aware of what a road test is, as you (and hopefully  me image) But when a roadtest become a gigantic project it is something out of topic, IMHO. When I enroll for a road test I always see before if I can introduce the new and almost unknown component in a project I am already working on. This simplifies the things as I see the product under the testing perspective with the advantage of using it at the same time. But we always should focus the attention on creating a report of "what the product is, what can do and what are the performances". A honest test, as a matter of fact. Just making an example, I loved a past road test where a new TI board was introduced in a real project for a car race. But it was not a project though ad hoc. I am in queue for road testing the Raspberry PI compute module 3 and I am very interested to discover as much as possible its characteristics, features and limits just because I am deciding to use it in a large industrial project. I have done the same with the LTE94112 by Infineon, this was the element to complete a project I was working by one year. So why not to test it ? A good opportunity. But a test is a test. Not a challenge.

    BTW I think that this is not the more interesting stuff that the supplier aims to read about.

     

    Look forward your future road test submissions image

     

    Enrico