High-speed planning starts with edge behavior, topology and receiver requirements. Route length is only one part of the channel. Review connector launches, vias, reference continuity and power delivery alongside the nominal impedance.
Start with these questions
- What must the receiver see and when?
- Which transitions dominate reflection or skew?
- Do the material and copper assumptions match production?
Read the engineering guides
Apply a tool or checklist
What to keep in the project record
Preserve channel constraints and validate the extracted routing. Treat first-order tools as explanations of a mechanism, not as proof of protocol compliance.