Hello All,
I have a general question regarding when to go for optimization of a certain circuit block or when to just stick with a "working" design" which is not necessarily optimized. The company i used to work for doing digital circuit design rarely cared about optimization of blocks. I know one is restricted by time constraint to market chips, but i am of the opinion that having a systematic way of identifying when optimization is advantageous could make a big difference! When i talk of optimization, i am referring to using MATLAB for example to derive a set of equations for the critical specs while not forgetting to add the equation assumptions as constraints in the optimization problem. Not forgetting also the fact that it might not be possible to optimize a design across all process corners....guess this is a big challenge.
Please if you are a Manager or in a position to make such decisions in your company, i will really appreciate your view.
Thanks!

I don't think you actually get to pick 2 out of 3.

My experience is that quality is relative to cost and time to market. Everyone expects quality that is consistent or barely exceeds the expectations of what the market is willing to pay for.

Perhaps "market expectation" is a more representative third choice.

Just my borrowed, market rate adjusted and devalued two cents worth.