Executive Briefing Deck

Implementing the 5 C's

A tactical rollout strategy for shifting strict regulatory environments from phase-gate bottlenecks to high-velocity decentralized command.

Four of the five — Connect, Count, Capable, Courage — are Bettner and Lew's Crucial C's, from Adlerian research on classrooms and families. The fifth, Choice, is mine. The framework in full →

The Diagnostic: Identifying the Bottleneck

In high-compliance engineering spaces (DO-178C, EAR/ITAR), schedule delays are rarely caused by a lack of technical skill. They are caused by rigid group dynamics.

  • Siloed Execution: Hardware, Software, and Systems Safety operating sequentially rather than concurrently.
  • The 'Why' Culture: Post-incident reviews focused on assigning blame ("Why did this fail?") rather than system discovery ("What broke down in the process?").
  • Centralized Authority: Decision-making bottlenecks at the CAM/Lead level, stalling daily execution.
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Stop asking 'Why'.
Start asking 'What'.
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Phase 1: Establishing the Baseline

Before demanding execution, leadership must establish the structural environment using the first two C's.

  • Connect (Collaboration & Integration): Tear down the silos. Mandate cross-functional Agile events. Ensure Systems, Software, and QA are operating on the same cadence with integrated toolchains (Jira/DOORS).
  • Capable (Competence & Resources): Eliminate excuses. Audit the team. Do they have the necessary training? Are the build servers adequate? Do not assign responsibility without providing the means to execute it.
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Phase 2: Driving Execution

Once the environment is stabilized, focus the team on execution and tactical risk management.

  • Count (Impact & Alignment): Map daily tasks directly to EVMS metrics. Every engineer must understand how their specific Jira ticket impacts the $10M+ in control accounts (Performance Measurement Baseline).
  • Courage (Innovation & Risk): Build psychological safety. Reward teams for identifying technical debt early. High-compliance requires rigorous testing, which demands the courage to fail fast during early integration phases.
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The Objective: Decentralized Command

If Connect, Capable, Count, and Courage are successfully established, the environment is ready for the ultimate objective.

  • Choice (Autonomy & Ownership): Pushing decision-making authority to the lowest possible level.
  • The engineers closest to the problem own the solution.
  • Leadership transitions from managing tasks to managing the boundary conditions of the portfolio.
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