ASIC design project scheduling

With the market-driven need to reduce product development times in the face of increasing complexity, the ability to forecast ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) development time has become of paramount importance. The authors present techniques to forecast schedules more accurately, to minimize risks, and to improve productivity on a continuing basis. They found that it is critical to have a specification and a resource team; otherwise, schedule slips are almost certain. They point out that during the development process, tradeoffs must be made by the ASIC designer. To do so effectively, he or she must understand the end application. Risks need assessing and contingency planning. Scheduling itself must be addressed in three senses: future (forecasts), present (monitors) and past (data). The historical database helps to forecast as well as to identify opportunities for productivity improvement.<>