Research says engineering leaders expect a lot from Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) — improved reliability, better traceability, fewer integration failures. So why are those benefits so hard to actually realize? In a recent Lifecycle Insights study, fewer than 30% of teams reported achieving the outcomes they set out to get from MBSE. That's the gap this episode confronts head-on.

Host Chad Jackson brings together three veteran systems engineers for a live roundtable that goes beyond theory: Anand Rangaramu, Guy Zur, and Branden Ramsey. Together, they tackle the hard questions practitioners rarely say out loud in conference presentations.

In this episode:

• Why building a business case for MBSE is harder than it looks — and the organizational dynamics that make or break adoption
• How to scope your modeling effort without turning it into a bureaucratic burden
• The "all or nothing" trap that kills MBSE initiatives before they deliver value
• Why culture — especially psychological safety and tolerance for failure — may matter more than tooling
• What AI actually changes (and doesn't) for MBSE: from auto-populating requirements to "vibe coding" system models
• The one thing each panelist wishes engineering leaders truly understood about MBSE

Whether you're trying to justify your first MBSE initiative or troubleshoot a stalled one, this conversation delivers the honest, experience-driven perspective you need to hear.