The situation
The floor safety system runs on embedded controllers across a large network of buildings. Changing it touches hardware, firmware, the crews who commission it and the people who work next to it every day.
I already knew the system well. Before moving into product, I ran the retrofit to move roughly 240 buildings to its current generation, working with about 16 engineering groups to get it done.
What I did
I put together the business case, the financial model and the product requirements. The case rested on four cost drivers:
- Hardware cost. What each unit costs to build, and where a new platform could bring that down.
- Cybersecurity. What it takes to keep the system secure over its life.
- Commissioning labor. How much time crews spend bringing the system up in a building.
- User experience. What the system is like for the people who install, maintain and work around it.
From there I wrote the requirements and brought the plan into annual planning.
Where it's headed
The program will drive $57M in cost reduction, and it's being developed for integration into next-generation robotic programs in 2027 and 2028.
Specific designs, suppliers and internal numbers are left out on purpose. I'm happy to go deeper on the approach in conversation.