5. Allow time for equipment fine-tuning before embarking on contract testing with the customer

It's not uncommon to find that planners with little experience, or customers in their forward planning, forget that it's always necessary to allow for fine-tuning phases when implementing complex equipment, all the more so when it has to fit into a process. It is therefore essential to plan for these fine-tuning phases, both in the factory and on the customer's site, during which the manufacturer will not be under the customer's spotlight, and will be able to make various adjustments or minor corrections to ensure that, during the contractual tests, the equipment meets the contractual performance requirements right the first time.

If not planned for, this development time will lead to retesting during the contractual testing phases with the customer, with all the attendant risks of schedule slippage, deterioration in customer relations and underlying conflicts....