What is a prototype, really?
What is a prototype, really?
The word prototype comes from the Greek protos (first) and typos (model, imprint or example). So literally it means: the first example.
Yet these days the word is used for all sorts of things. On Encyclo you'll find definitions like: * the first experimental version of a product * the original model * a trial specimen * a detailed worked-out model of an invention * the most characteristic representative of something
Maybe that explains why the term causes so much confusion in engineering.
Because when is something a prototype? And when is it not?
A prototype isn't a phase but an umbrella term.
A better question would be: which risk are you trying to remove in which TRL stage?
That's why, in electronics and PCBA development, you see different types of prototypes, each with its own purpose. * TRL 2-3 | Proof of Concept (PoC) — risk: does the technical principle even work? * TRL 3-4 | Functional Model — risk: do the key functions work as intended? * TRL 4-5 | Engineering Prototype — risk: does the complete design work as a system? * TRL 5-6 | Alpha Prototype — risk: do performance, EMC, thermals and reliability hold up? * TRL 6-7 | MVP / Beta Prototype — risk: does the product actually solve the user's problem? * TRL 7-8 | Proto series — risk: can we build and test the product reproducibly? * TRL 8 | Zero series — risk: are product, documentation, supply chain and production process ready to scale? * TRL 9 | Series production — risk: can we deliver consistent quality at the right cost?
That's why I try to use the word prototype less and less without context.
A Proof of Concept, Engineering Prototype, MVP, proto series and zero series are all "prototypes", but they answer completely different questions.
And that's exactly why a project that gets stuck in a proto series usually has a very different problem than a project that gets stuck in an Engineering Proto.
Which names do you use within your organisation for the different development stages?
(img. Encata)
