Engineering Excellence
Hello and welcome to Engineering Excellence: Real Results, Not Just Resources. My name is Michael Roberts, Vice President of SPK and Associates, and I’m here with Edwin Chung. Ed, feel free to introduce yourself.
Hey, please call me Ed. I’m VP of Professional Services here at SPK. I’ve been here since forever, and how can I help you today?
Transformative Strategies for Engineering Teams
Ed and I are going to discuss some transformative strategies that we’ve used to help engineering teams move from simply operational to exceptional. We’ll explore the results of our approaches and how they have not only delivered positive outcomes but also fostered innovation and improved product quality.
Our goal is to share practical insights, explain the reasoning behind our approach, and highlight how we’ve seen engineering teams achieve outstanding outcomes time and time again.
Achieving Real Results, Not Just Resources
Ed, first question—one of the things we emphasize is achieving real results, not just providing a warm body or a resource. Can you share some specific examples of how SPK’s solutions have tangibly reduced time to market for our clients?
Yeah, one example that comes to mind is a software development company that approached us for a Scrum Master to help with their sprints. The real issue was that they were missing their deliverables and timelines.
A couple of steps were involved. We first assessed the situation, and here’s a tip for those experiencing similar issues: Every sprint, they were missing deadlines because they didn’t account for 50% of the sprint time needed for testing and deployment. Developers were focused on development, but they didn’t budget time for deployment—like doing the dishes after dinner.
First, we had them allocate time for that. Once they did, they started meeting their deadlines. Then, we took it a step further—developers weren’t involved in testing. We suggested having developers begin the next development phase while testers were testing, overlapping the sprints. This change allowed them not only to meet deadlines but also to beat them, releasing products two weeks to two months earlier. That meant they could add more features, and ultimately, this approach ensured that we weren’t just providing a resource—we were helping them achieve business success.
Enhancing Product Quality Through Technical Expertise
Another key angle here is product quality, which is critical for engineering teams. How has SPK’s technical expertise contributed to enhancing product quality for our clients? And can you share what sets us apart from others offering similar services?
Quality is very important to me, and in our culture, we don’t believe in just trying something, failing, and trying again without learning. My philosophy is: let’s get it right the first time, and then the second time, and so on.
One way we ensure quality is by implementing automated checks. Business owners look for KPIs that automatically alert them when profits dip—engineering should have similar automated checks. In industries like medical devices, where FDA and ISO compliance require extensive reviews, we automate many of those checks through programming and AI.
For example, document control reviews often take a week or at best, three days. By implementing AI-powered first-pass checks, we’ve reduced turnaround times by 50–90%. That’s a big deal—it improves both quality and time to market.
The Importance of Technical Depth
Technical depth is a real strength of our team at SPK. Can you share how this depth influences our engagements and why it’s essential in helping customers achieve engineering excellence?
If I can both brag and be humble—many companies have talented regulatory and quality experts, and they do great work. But those experts are often in short supply. Our advantage is that we’ve worked with numerous companies and talented individuals, meaning we bring a broad perspective to problem-solving.
For example, in FDA regulations, ISO certifications, and SOC compliance, we’ve seen similar challenges across different companies. When a client presents a problem, we can say, “We’ve seen this before. Have you considered this approach?” Because we’ve already worked through similar issues, we can recommend proven solutions, leading to faster results with less overhead.
As the title suggests, we focus on real results—not just placing a person in a role, hoping they help. Our approach is about achieving measurable business outcomes.
Implementing Strategies for Engineering Excellence
Ed, thanks for joining me. That wraps up this discussion on Engineering Excellence: Real Results, Not Just Resources. My name is Michael Roberts. Be sure to like the SPK and Associates YouTube channel, give this video a thumbs up if you found it helpful, and stay tuned for more content in the future.
Thanks, Ed. Bye!
