In this special kickoff to a three-part miniseries, Aaron Moncur and Brad Hirayama explore one of the most important—and often overlooked—skills in engineering: how to accelerate the speed of engineering work without sacrificing quality. Drawing insights from more than 300 episodes of the Being An Engineer podcast, Aaron has distilled recurring lessons from experienced engineers into 21 practical best practices. In this first episode, Aaron and Brad break down the first seven strategies that help engineers move faster, solve problems more effectively, and create more value for their teams and companies.

The conversation focuses largely on what individual engineers can do today to work more efficiently—from choosing the right communication method and asking for help sooner, to troubleshooting systems more intelligently and leveraging off-the-shelf solutions instead of reinventing the wheel. Along the way, Aaron and Brad share real stories from engineering projects, lessons from early-career mistakes, and insights into how small improvements compound over time.

They also discuss the broader impact of engineering speed: why moving faster doesn’t just benefit businesses—it helps bring better technologies and solutions to the world sooner.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why picking up the phone can accelerate projects faster than email
• How asking for help early prevents costly rabbit holes
• A simple method for troubleshooting complex systems
• Why basic experiments and data beat gut feelings in engineering decisions
• When it’s smarter to buy components instead of designing them
• How off-the-shelf products can dramatically speed up prototyping
• Why intentional extra effort and continuous improvement compound over time

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on accelerating engineering speed. In the next episode, Aaron and Brad continue the conversation with seven more best practices to help engineers and teams move faster and deliver results more effectively.

Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday.

The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us

Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus