Corporate

How to solve complexity issues facing startup companies

By Beth Warner

With advancements in technology coming at a rapid pace in today’s global economy, complexity is a natural by-product of smart, more connected products. Any startup planning to manufacture or even design this new generation of technology will be faced with far more advanced electrical signals, on-board software and hardware prototypes than any previous generation.

Designing across engineering domains and getting systems to talk to each other and work harmoniously can lead to delays and costly iterations of physical prototypes. In addition, the organizational and process complexity associated with smart, connected products can give any startup stakeholder anxiety.

As seen in this infographic, a variety of external factors including remote work, team integration and global workforces also impacts a startup’s ability to gain efficiencies in production:

Solving complexity issues for startup companies

Startup company system integration

Changes made in one definition but not in other areas can lead to system integration issues. Finding the appropriate software that allows design and author tools to communicate seamlessly with each other is key to success. Easily identifying which changes need to be shared with which departments is necessary to keep everyone on the same page. For all the different product versions, deliverables are changing and keeping everyone up to date is critical.

See first hand how a startup company that manufactures specialized products tackles complex issues with digital software solutions:

Startup program cloud solutions

Traditionally, IT solutions for these types of problems have been kept behind a firewall to avoid IP theft. Startups are also working with contributors who have to connect through a VPN to collaborate. As more and more enterprises are faced with security issues, all types of solutions are transitioning to the cloud.  Cloud applications can alleviate startup companies of the responsibility for security, or maintaining the solution. 

Listen as Chad Jackson from Lifecycle Insights covers the benefits of cloud apps in this short clip from his on-demand webinar Building a sound digital foundation for hardware startups:

A digital twin for startup programs

With so much complexity affecting the product development process of startup programs, maintaining a comprehensive digital twin can help many companies build a strong digital foundation for the future.

The concept of a digital twin combines the real and the digital worlds, blurring the boundaries between engineering and process domains. Teams can work on the same iterations, at the same time, ensuring faster and more efficient design and decision-making. Startups and small businesses who embrace this concept can reduce time-to-market and work with greater efficiency. With a comprehensive digital twin, startup companies are able to reduce overhead with fewer prototypes, fewer tests, and less waste during production.

To discover how startup programs can ensure success with digital software, watch the on-demand webinar or read the ebook by Lifecycle Insights:

Learn more about growing your startup to its full potential with Siemens software solutions for startups

Check out the other blogs in this series about building a strong digital foundation for startups:

A Startup Company Dilemma: Adopting Change to Ensure Success

How the Shift Toward Smart, Connected Products Impacts Startup Companies

Why You Need a Stable Digital Foundation for Your Startup Company

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This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/small-medium-business/2022/03/21/how-to-solve-complexity-issues-facing-startup-companies/