August 25, 2026 34 min
#150: 150 Episodes In - What We Got Right (and Wrong) in Digital Engineering 150 Episodes of Digital Engineering Conversations—and Counting It’s a milestone worth celebrating: Stay Sharp in Digital Engineering has reached 150 episodes! In this special episode, co-hosts Juliann Grant and Jonathan Scott take a break from the usual guest format to look back at nearly three years of Stay Sharp . Together, they revisit the topics, trends, guests, and conversations that have shaped the podcast—and consider what’s still left to explore. From the beginning, the podcast has focused on the rapidly changing world of digital engineering, manufacturing, and product development. But as the hosts reflect on 150 episodes, one thing becomes clear: while the technology continues to change, many of the fundamental challenges remain remarkably consistent. From PLM to AI—and Everything in Between PLM has been a recurring theme since the earliest episodes. The hosts revisit the early What Is PLM? series, which remains one of the podcast's strongest-performing topics, and discuss why questions about PLM's role within the enterprise are still relevant today. They also look at how the conversation has expanded into other areas, including MES, quality, integration, migration, and data management. These may not always be the most glamorous subjects, but they are often where digital transformation succeeds—or fails. AI has become another major theme. While the hype around AI can sometimes feel repetitive, Juliann and Jonathan discuss why the conversation continues to evolve as companies move from experimentation toward practical implementation. A recurring lesson from many of their AI conversations is the importance of the underlying data foundation—and the fact that there is still no single answer for how organizations should approach it. Digital Twins, Digital Threads and MBSE The podcast's Digital Twin series gave the hosts an opportunity to explore a term that is often overused and misunderstood. Conversations with practitioners helped put digital twins into context and demonstrate how organizations are applying the concept in the real world. Digital thread has been another important—and still evolving—theme. Rather than viewing digital thread as a single project, the hosts describe it as an incremental process of connecting data and information across systems and business processes. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is another topic they expect to remain relevant for years to come. Discussions with experts including Chris Finley and David Long helped demonstrate both the practical applications of MBSE and why it extends well beyond the traditional examples many people associate with it. The Less Glamorous Side of Digital Transformation Some of the most valuable conversations have focused on topics that don't always generate headlines: integration, migration, data quality, and unstructured data. The hosts reflect on conversations about everything from the massive amounts of information associated with aircraft to CAD migration and the challenges of moving data between systems and formats. These discussions reinforce an important reality: digital transformation isn't just about adopting new technology. It also means dealing with the existing data, systems, processes, and technical debt that organizations have accumulated over time. Digital Engineering and the Defense Industrial Base The podcast also spent considerable time exploring digital engineering and the defense industry, including cybersecurity, CMMC, and the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Juliann and Jonathan discuss the potential opportunities for small and midsize manufacturers to participate in the DIB, as well as the challenges organizations face as cybersecurity and compliance requirements evolve. The People Behind the Technology Technology may be at the center of digital transformation, but many Stay Sharp conversations have highlighted another critical factor: people. The hosts discuss the importance of organizational culture, adoption, change management, partnerships, and the relationships between technology providers, customers, service providers, and systems integrators. Their Digital Product series has also provided an opportunity to go beyond product features and specifications to understand the people and cultures behind different software companies. As Jonathan points out, conversations reveal things about a company that aren't always apparent from a website or product sheet. A Few Favorite Guests With 150 episodes and an impressive roster of guests, there are plenty of conversations worth revisiting. Juliann and Jonathan highlight several memorable guests, including Brion Carroll , Patrick Hilberg , Jos Voskuil , Michael “Fino” Finocchiaro , Martin Eigner , Chris Finlay, David Long , Dan Miklovic , and others. They also give a special shout-out to Jen Ferello , who helped get the podcast off the ground and remains an important part of the Stay Sharp story. And, of course, the hosts recognize the many guests who have shared their expertise throughout the first 150 episodes. What's Next for Stay Sharp? Reaching 150 episodes isn't the end of the conversation. If anything, the hosts discover that there are still more questions than ever. They want to hear from listeners about the topics they should cover, companies and industries they should explore, and guests they should invite onto the show. They also plan to use LinkedIn surveys to make it easier for listeners to weigh in. Most importantly, Juliann and Jonathan thank everyone who has listened, shared feedback, approached them at conferences, appeared as a guest, or helped make the podcast possible. After 150 episodes, Stay Sharp in Digital Engineering is still doing what it set out to do: having thoughtful conversations about the technology, people, and ideas that help professionals stay sharp in digital engineering. Here's to the next 150 episodes. Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Story Blocks. Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co. © 2026 Razorleaf Corp. All Rights Reserved.
