# S7E11 Brad & Aaron | How To Accelerate The Speed of Engineering (Episode 1 of 3)

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2026-03-13
- Length: 49m
- Episode: 11
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3

## Summary

Aaron Moncur, founder of Pipeline Design & Engineering, and guest Brad Hirayama discuss seven strategies to accelerate engineering speed without sacrificing quality. They emphasize using direct communication for urgent issues, asking for help early to avoid rabbit holes, and troubleshooting by isolating components. The hosts also advocate for using simple data-driven experiments, buying off-the-shelf components instead of building custom ones, and leveraging existing products for rapid prototyping. Finally, they discuss the compounding value of intentional extra effort and continuous 1% improvements in engineering practice.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=0) Introduction: Accelerating Engineering Speed
- [3:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=207) Best Practice 1: Use the Right Communication Medium for Urgency
- [9:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=548) Best Practice 2: Ask for Help Early and Time Box Problem Solving
- [18:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=1086) Best Practice 3: Troubleshoot Individual Components, Not the Whole System
- [22:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=1358) Best Practice 4: Use Simple Experiments and Basic Instrumentation
- [25:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=1539) Best Practice 5: Buy Instead of Build Whenever Possible
- [33:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=1999) Best Practice 6: Use Off-the-Shelf Products for Prototyping
- [35:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=2101) Best Practice 7: Work More with Intentionality and Focus
- [44:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3#t=2661) Bonus: The Power of 1% Improvements and Compound Gains

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- McMaster (other)
- Amazon (other)
- IDEO (company)
- PDX (Product Development Expo) (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [How Soft Skills Drive High-Impact Engineering Teams w/ Aaron Moncur](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-08-26-how-soft-skills-drive-high-impact-engineering-teams-w-aaron-moncur) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [452: I Wish I’d Thought of That](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2024-08-23-452-i-wish-id-thought-of-that) (Making It)
- [Episode 274: Fold time back on itself](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2020-08-28-episode-274-fold-time-back-on-itself) (Making It)
- [Interview with Eric Ries - Transorted Testing Tachydidaxy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-08-21-interview-with-eric-ries-transorted-testing-tachydidaxy) (The Amp Hour)
- [Work on it for 10 years...](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-30-work-on-it-for-10-years) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-13-s7e11-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-1-of-3. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.