Change by Design

Systems Engineering and Escaping the "Document Trap" with Laura Otero

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Can a lack of systems engineering really cost a program $68 million? Absolutely, according to Laura Otero, Director of Digital Engineering at Leidos. In this episode, Chad Jackson and Laura explore the trenches of digital engineering, where culture wars between document-based and model-based are still being fought every day.
 
Topics covered:
  • The Unpaid Labor of Change: Why change agents are essential but rarely have the official title or time allocated.
  • The Translator Role: How successful leaders bridge the gap between C-suite vision and engineering execution.
  • MBSE ROI: A case study on how live model reviews led to a “zero-action” PDR and saved weeks of back-and-forth.
  • The $68 Million Mistake: What happens when programs skip systems engineering in Phase 1.
  • Over-Modeling Pitfalls: Why you shouldn’t model COTS parts down to the resistor—or try to model two humans talking in a bunker.
  • AI & MBSE: The future of using AI to generate model templates and accelerate development.
    • If you’re navigating the shift from documents to data, this episode offers practical advice on what works, what fails, and how to survive the transition.
    ...more
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    Change by DesignBy Chad Jackson