Davidson’s Digital Engineering Playbook: Built to Beat the 70% Failure Rate

Inside the IDEA framework, the DE strategy behind it, and the leader driving it forward. 

Digital transformation isn’t new. But doing it well, especially at the speed of relevance, is still rare. According to McKinsey, 70% of digital transformation efforts fail. Not because teams aren’t trying. But because the architecture, alignment, and execution are fundamentally flawed from the start. 

At Davidson, we see this not as a statistic to shrug off, but as a challenge to engineer against.  

Enter Alec Jackson. 

As Davidson’s Senior Director of Digital Engineering, Alec isn’t just building tools. He’s rebuilding trust in what digital transformation can deliver across the defense, aerospace, and commercial sectors.

“I’ve watched major OEMs burn millions trying to do this without a plan,” Alec says. “They know they’re failing. Most just don’t know how to course-correct without starting over.” 

The Problem with How Digital Engineering Gets Done 

Davidson’s approach begins with something most overlook: operational efficiency. 

“We start by understanding how a customer does business,” Alec explains. “No software. No integration. Just people and process. If the foundation is broken, automating it doesn’t help—it magnifies the dysfunction.”

Only once those workflows are mapped and streamlined does Davidson's digital engineering team begin implementation. 

The DE in 4D Strategy and IDEA Framework

Davidson’s digital engineering services are structured under the 'DE in 4D' framework: Design, Develop, Deploy, and Defend. This approach ensures customers receive comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that are resilient, scalable, and secure.

• Design: Develop the overall digital engineering strategy and solution architecture.

• Develop: Build and integrate custom digital thread solutions using DevSecOps best practices.

• Deploy: Implement containerized and scalable solutions with a focus on rapid initial deployment and future extensibility.

• Defend: Provide ongoing lifecycle maintenance, ensuring integrations remain functional as tools evolve and systems update.

  
  

Within the Design phase, Davidson applies the IDEA methodology—Integrated Digital Enterprise Architecture. IDEA is the structured approach Davidson uses to design the integrations necessary for digital transformation success. It enables Davidson to simulate the impact of potential transformations and estimate return on investment (ROI) before execution.

“IDEA is how we design the solution,” Alec explains. “It’s how we determine what should be integrated, and how it all fits together. Then DE in 4D is how we deliver it.”

This combined strategy doesn’t just digitize—it accelerates. And it’s designed to work in model-based systems engineering (MBSE) environments, supporting everything from early concept development through digital twin integration.

From Concept to Same-Day Deployment 

Davidson’s roadmap goes beyond implementation. The vision is to deliver a containerized 70% digital thread baseline in a single day—what Alec calls “Same-Day Digital Engineering.”

It’s a leap forward from traditional DE efforts that take months just to configure. 

This drop-in model then evolves through tailored extensions: secure data integrations, software tool adaptation, and customized DevSecOps deployments.

“Ultimately, we don’t want our customers to worry about infrastructure,” Alec says. “We defend what we build, update what breaks, and adapt as tools evolve.” 

This “defend” phase of Davidson’s digital engineering solution includes lifecycle support, maintenance, and remediation for integration breaks caused by vendor tool updates—ensuring systems stay connected and compliant across their entire lifecycle. 

A Track Record That Spans Defense and Industry 

Alec’s background is one of uncommon depth and breadth. 

He began his career at No Magic, the company behind Cameo and MagicDraw, now ubiquitous tools in MBSE. He’s helped design and integrate digital threads for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, trained the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense’s original Digital Engineering Cohort who wrote the DoD’s Digital Engineering Strategy (2018), and guided transformation initiatives at John Deere, Ford Motor Company, BAE Systems; advising many more. 

“I’ve built digital threads for everything from spacecraft to luxury vehicles,” Alec says. “The industry changes. The process doesn’t.” 

Why It Matters

For Alec, digital engineering isn’t a buzzword—it’s a conviction. 

“I grew up in a family business culture—very German, very process-driven,” he says. “I can’t stand watching taxpayer money get wasted on inefficiency. I’m not trying to replace people. I’m trying to free them up to actually engineer.”

He’s seen engineers with advanced degrees spend 40% of their time copying data between spreadsheets. He’s built DE systems that cut that task from months to minutes. 

“When you automate the tedious, manual tasks, you let engineers innovate,” he says. “That’s the difference. That’s the payoff.” 

Why Davidson? 

Alec joined Davidson in 2024 because he saw a company willing to invest in more than marketing claims. 

“We’re solving real pain points; tool by tool, system by system, customer by customer.” 

Davidson’s DE posture is already proving itself. From current pilot integrations with major defense OEMs to its strategy for scaling across enterprise systems, Davidson is positioning itself as a serious player in the digital engineering space. 

"It’s not a promise. It’s a pattern."

Let’s Talk! 

If you’re navigating your own digital transformation, regardless of the domain you operate in, connect with Alec directly or meet him at SMD Symposium Booth 225 August 5-7.

Email Alec Jackson