Change by Design: Engineering Transformation with Chad Jackson

Ditching the Drawing: One Change Agent’s Playbook for Model-Based Transformation | Marshall Hulbert

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Marshall Hulbert has done what most engineers only talk about — he's actually replaced the drawing. A veteran change agent now leading Model-Based Definition (MBD) and Model-Based Enterprise (MBE) adoption at Oshkosh Defense, Marshall joins host Chad Jackson to share what it really takes to drive a transformation that reaches far beyond the engineering department. The first half of the conversation covers the change agent role itself: the skills that matter, how to read organizational signals that predict success or failure, and the soft-skills battles you'll fight with departments that aren't yours to manage.

The second half goes deep on MBD and MBE — what engineering, manufacturing, quality, and procurement actually gain when the drawing disappears, why supplier adoption is the hardest bridge to cross, and a forward-looking idea Marshall raises that's rarely discussed: feeding manufacturing programs, inspection results, and downstream data back into the model so it becomes a living, circular source of truth rather than just an output.

Key Takeaways:

  • Two types of change agents: those who assess and push a new initiative up the chain, and those who deploy it once the decision is made — Marshall prefers the first.
  • Broad cross-functional knowledge is essential: before you can sell the change, you have to understand what every department actually does with a drawing today.
  • Upper management buy-in is the make-or-break factor: wavering at the top creates stalls at every level below.
  • MBD is unique because it removes the drawing entirely — unlike every prior shift in engineering (hand drafting to CAD to 3D), downstream departments can no longer rely on a familiar deliverable.
  • The circular model: manufacturing programs, feed speeds, and inspection data can eventually feed back into the MBD, making it a living source of truth — not just an output.
  • Supplier adoption is the hardest bridge to cross: quoting departments lack the software and training to interpret a model file, and until they can, the full value of MBD stays locked up.
  • ROI doesn't always get calculated — in the defense sector especially, companies are adopting MBD because the government is heading there, not because someone ran the numbers.
  • Start small and start now: run R&D or non-time-sensitive parts through the system first and get people used to it before production orders are on the line.
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    Change by Design: Engineering Transformation with Chad JacksonBy Chad Jackson