# S7E14 Brad & Aaron | How To Accelerate The Speed of Engineering (Episode 3 of 3)

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2026-03-27
- Length: 53m
- Episode: 14
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-of-3

## Summary

Host Aaron Moncur and guest Brad Hirayama discuss organizational and cultural levers to accelerate engineering speed, focusing on vertical integration, psychological safety, and ROI management. They highlight the importance of in-person collaboration, using reusable asset libraries like McMaster-CAD models, and defining clear return on investment to prevent scope creep. The conversation emphasizes that trust and communication are critical for fast-moving engineering teams.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-of-3#t=0) Introduction and Vertical Integration
- [6:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-of-3#t=382) Being Hands-On and Toyota/Lexus Design Principles
- [13:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-of-3#t=823) Building Psychological Safety and Trust
- [22:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-of-3#t=1331) Informal Communication and Onboarding
- [34:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-of-3#t=2041) Reusable Assets and ROI Management
- [49:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-of-3#t=2963) Conclusion: Soft Skills and Culture

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- McMaster (company)
- Toyota (company)
- Lexus (product)
- Proto Labs (company)
- PDX (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)
- [Creating Manufacturing Environments Where Engineers Can Thrive w/ Josh Tarbutton](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-12-02-creating-manufacturing-environments-where-engineers-can-thrive-w-josh-tarbutton) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Inspirations and Aspirations - Recanting Rocket Rationale](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-06-26-inspirations-and-aspirations-recanting-rocket-rationale) (The Amp Hour)
- [Scaling Agile](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2023-12-05-scaling-agile) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [#010 - How to think like Elon Musk - Scrum for Hardware, with Joe Justice of WIKISPEED and Scrum Inc, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-01-25-010-how-to-think-like-elon-musk-scrum-for-hardware-with-joe-justice-of-wikispeed) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)

## 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/2026-03-27-s7e14-brad-aaron-how-to-accelerate-the-speed-of-engineering-episode-3-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.