In this episode of the Applied Imperative podcast, we dive into the challenges, failures, and key lessons of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) with Mark Sampson, MBSE evangelist at Applied CAx. Mark shares real-world examples of why MBSE is critical for preventing costly mistakes and ensuring seamless collaboration across engineering teams.
Conway’s Law: The communication challenge in engineering
Conway’s Law states that engineers design systems that reflect their organization’s structures. While this is a natural way for teams to work, it also leads to isolation or information silos, which is a major challenge when integrating complex systems.
“Engineers are pretty good at isolated silos—that’s not the problem anymore. It’s when we bring all this stuff together.”
-Mark Sampson
The MBSE approach, “integrate first, then build,” helps companies avoid these silos by keeping systems and teams aligned from the start. This continuous integration ensures better cross-domain communication, ultimately saving time and reducing costs.
Real-world example: The case of the wet knee
Mark shares an example from an automotive company, where an engineer was tasked with investigating a strange customer complaint—their knee was getting wet while driving.
After investigating the issue, the engineer discovered that water was traveling along a wire and spraying the passenger’s knee through the speaker system. Digging further, they realized that a previous version of the wire design included a loop that directed the water away from the speaker—a crucial function that kept passengers dry.
However, in an effort to cut costs, the manufacturing team removed the extra write, unknowingly causing the issue. This same cycle repeated every six months, with the design switching from write to no wire.
This example highlights the importance of an integrated MBSE system, where teams across disciplines stay aligned, ensuring past mistakes are not repeated over and over again.
Access the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to learn more about MBSE’s role in overcoming these challenges.