Debbie Brey (Project & Team), Jennifer Fawcett, Dr. Suzette Johnson (Northrop Grumman) & Robin Yeman (Leidos)
This groundbreaking paper explores how AI and large language models (LLMs) can enhance Industrial DevOps practices, specifically in the context of cyber-physical systems like manufacturing plants, autonomous vehicles, energy systems, and complex industrial infrastructure. The authors present a comprehensive framework for integrating AI capabilities into daily operations, showing how teams building and maintaining these critical systems can leverage AI as a collaborative partner rather than just a tool.
The paper addresses the unique challenges of applying AI in industrial settings where reliability, safety, and regulatory compliance are paramount. It demonstrates how AI can assist in areas like predictive maintenance, quality control, supply chain optimization, and real-time monitoring of industrial processes while maintaining essential human oversight. The authors provide concrete examples of how industrial teams can use AI to enhance their development and operational practices without compromising the rigorous standards required in industrial environments.
Drawing from extensive research and real-world industrial applications, the paper provides practical guidance for leaders seeking to enhance the value of their cyber-physical systems through emerging technologies. It includes detailed examples of AI implementation across various industrial sectors, alongside patterns and practices for successful adoption that address the specific needs and constraints of industrial systems development and operations.
Topics
AI · Software Delivery & Architecture
Formats
epub · pdf
License
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
About the authors
4 authors
DBDebbie BreyProject & Team (at publication)▼▲
Debbie Brey is the director of complex systems innovation practice at Project & Team. In this role, she provides consulting and coaching for companies and organizations looking to innovate when dealing with the complexity of their solution and organizations. Debbie retired from Boeing as a technical fellow. She introduced and advanced Boeing’s ways of working using a combination of Agile, Lean, and the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Brey founded the Boeing Enterprise Agile Center of Excellence, where she focused on growing an internal Agile coaching capability and increasing the overall outcomes of business agility at Boeing. She achieved recognition for her continued pursuit of improving outcomes by simplifying and clarifying guidance around Lean and Agile ways of working for anyonemat Boeing, specifically how they could be embraced for cyber-physical systems. Brey is a SAFe Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT) and SAFe Fellow.
Jennifer is a semi-retired empathetic Lean and Agile leader, practitioner, coach, speaker, and consultant. A SAFe Fellow, she contributed to and helped develop SAFe content and courseware. Her passion has been in delivering value in the workplace and by understanding the science of social communities, communication, and culture. Other areas of focus included product management, product ownership, and compassionate leadership. She has provided dedicated service in these areas to enterprises for over forty years.
Dr. Suzette JohnsonNorthrop Grumman (at publication)▼▲
Dr. Suzette Johnson is an award-winning author who has spent most of her career in the aerospace defense industry working for Northrop Grumman Corporation. Suzette was the enterprise Lean/Agile transformation lead. In this role, she launched the Northrop Grumman Agile Community of Practice and the Lean/Agile Center of Excellence. She has supported over a hundred enterprise, government, and DoD transitions to and the maturation of Lean-Agile principles and engineering development practices. She has also trained and coached over four thousand individuals on Lean/Agile principles and practices and delivered more than one hundred presentations on Lean/Agile at conferences both nationally and abroad. Her current role is as Northrop Grumman Fellow and Technical Fellow Emeritus, where she continues to actively drive the adoption of Lean/Agile principles with leadership at the portfolio levels and within cyber-physical solutions, specifically within the space sector. As a mentor, coach, and leader, she launched the Women in Computing, Johns Hopkins University Chapter; the Women in Leadership Development program; the Northrop Grumman Lean-Agile Center of Excellence; and the NDIA ADAPT (Agile Delivery for Agencies, Programs, and Teams) working group. She received a Doctorate of Management at the University of Maryland with a dissertation focused on investigating the impact of leadership styles on software project outcomes in traditional and Agile engineering environments. She am also a Certified Agile Enterprise Coach and Scaled Agile Program Consultant/SPCT
Robin Yeman has spent twenty-six years working at Lockheed Martin as a senior technical fellow building large systems including everything from submarines to satellites. Robin lead the Agile community of practice supporting a workforce of 120,000 people. Her initial experience with Lean practices began in the late 90’s. In 2002 shen had the opportunity to lead her first Agile program with multiple scrum teams. After she had a couple months of experience, she was hooked and never turned back. She both led and supported Agile Transformations for intelligence, federal, department of defense organizations over the next two decades and each one was more exciting and challenging than the last. In 2012 she had the opportunity to extend our Agile practices into DevOps which added extensive automation and tightened our feedback loops providing even larger results. Currently she is consulting for a range of Fortune 500 companies in highly regulated environments enabling them to achieve the same results we experienced at Lockheed Martin. She engages in everything from automotive, pharmaceuticals, and energy reimagining legacy to modern solutions using all of the tools in my toolbox including Agile, DevOps, Lean, Digital Engineering, Systems Theory, Design Thinking and more. Her goal is to make a positive impact for those around her. Robin is a continuous learner. Her education includes a Bachelor's Degree from Syracuse Univision in Computer Information Systems, a Master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Software Engineering, and she is currently pursuing a PhD in Systems Engineering at Colorado State University, where she is working on my contribution to demonstrate empirical data of the benefits of implementing Agile and DevOps for safety critical cyber-physical systems.
