Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fractional engineering team?
A fractional engineering team is a group of experienced engineers and drafters that are able to support a company in new product development, manufacturing/process support, supply chain issues, and many more tasks/projects that come up in manufacturing/design companies.
What is a fractional engineer?
A fractional engineer is an experienced engineer that is able to support a company in a part time role performing the tasks agreed upon.
What are the benefits of a fractional engineer / fractional engineering team?
In developing our business plan, here at Lukka Group, we thought of many potential benefits of a fractional engineering team in the market place. And through working with many companies, we have seen validation of this list of benefits.
1. Experienced engineers 'on staff' at a fraction of the cost
2. Continuous support for your company, products, and customers as issues may arise
3. Results focused relationship - if projects are moving forwards on time, everyone is happy
4. Team with diverse experience supporting other companies in industry. Can bring the 'have seen how others do it' experience and pull on what worked and stay away from what didn't
5. The team has a vast network of resources in industry. These resources include prototyping houses, suppliers, and people doing similar type of work
6. Motivated team.
The culture at Lukka Group is focused on results, family and communication. We have to produce excellent results, treat everyone fairly, and communicate X2!
How fast can a fractional engineering team get a new product to market?
The quick answer is it depends - 1. How complex is the product? 2. Is it a new technology or just a variation on an existing design? 3. What are the lead times associated with building prototypes? 4. What stage is the project currently at? Market analysis, concept development, prototyping? We would ask these questions and more to get a good picture of the project. Then Lukka would lay out an estimated project timeline and discuss with you to make sure everyone agrees to the estimated timeline. This process is no different than if you had a full time engineering staff.
How much does it cost to have a fractional engineering team?
There are many factors that go into the cost of a fractional engineering team.
1. How many new products do you hope to release/work on per year?
2. What is the complexity of the product that you design/manufacture?
3. How many products do you currently manufacture and is there a lot of support work required for these?
4. How involved are you looking to have the fractional engineering team in new product planning and market research?
At Lukka Group, we work on a monthly retainer basis. The baseline is $5,000/month and increases based on answers to the questions above.
Are there drawbacks to a fractional engineering team?
At some point, a company will grow to a size that requires a full time staff of engineers. The goal at Lukka Group is that we can support companies in a fractional role and help grow the company to a size such that they need a full time staff. Lukka Group would support the company in this transition and call it a job well done!
How can I be sure things are getting done with a fractional engineering team?
Communication is the greatest method for creating a great relationship. At Lukka Group, we strive to communicate more rather than less. This creates that feeling of comfort for the companies working with us knowing that at the end of the day, the results will be there.
The focus of a fractional engineering team should be results based. Any project should have an agreed upon timeline laid out at the beginning of the project, and there should be many mid-project deadlines. These mid-project deadlines are great checkpoints to verify that the project is moving forwards as expected. Also, at a minimum, weekly progress reports should be provided for updates on all tasks and projects.
What if the project load goes down or up? Can a fractional engineering team continue to hit deadlines? Or if the load decreases, is there an ability to save money?
The beauty of a fractional team is the ability to shift and pull on resources. As project loads increase or priorities ramp up with your project, we are able to pull on resources to move the project forwards as quickly as possible.
And alternatively, if project loads decrease over an extended period of time, we are able to reevaluate and drop down to a baseline retainer to be prudent with the use of your capital.