Timothy Bradbury Monzello, a manufacturing professional, former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Manufacturing Engineering Lead, and educator, has announced a new personal initiative: the “Build It Right” Pledge. The pledge is designed to promote better design habits, stronger alignment between engineering and manufacturing, and more practical thinking across the industry.
The initiative comes at a time when many engineering teams face growing pressure to move faster while maintaining quality and cost control.
“Too many designs look good on paper but fall apart when they reach the shop floor,” Monzello says. “If a part takes twice as long to make because of one small design choice, that’s a problem that could have been avoided.”
The pledge reflects lessons from his decades of experience across machining, production leadership, and complex systems work.
“You can’t fix a bad design on the shop floor without paying for it,” he says. “You’ll pay in time, scrap, or rework.”
Why This Matters Now
The push for better design practices is not just theoretical. It is backed by clear industry data:
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Up to 70% of manufacturing cost is determined during the design phase
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Design-related issues account for nearly 80% of production delays and quality problems
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Fixing a problem after production can cost 10x more than fixing it during design
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Companies that apply DFM early can reduce costs by 15% to 30%
Despite these facts, many teams still treat manufacturability as an afterthought.
“At JPL, we didn’t wait until something failed to fix it,” Monzello explains. “We brought manufacturing into the conversation early.”
The “Build It Right” Pledge
The pledge turns real-world lessons into daily habits. It focuses on clear, repeatable behaviors.
“I’ve seen parts where tight tolerances were applied across the board, even when only one area mattered,” he says. “That adds time and cost for no real benefit.”
7 Personal Commitments
Participants in the pledge commit to:
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Ask how a part will be built before finalizing any design
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Review each design from a manufacturing perspective
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Limit tight tolerances to only critical features
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Reduce unnecessary part complexity wherever possible
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Consult with manufacturing engineers, machinists, and/or production staff early in the design phase
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Test small prototypes before scaling production
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Document lessons learned from production
“These are not big changes,” Monzello says. “They’re small habits that prevent bigger problems.”
Do It Yourself Toolkit: 10 Simple Actions
Anyone can start improving design practices today. No tools or budget required.
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Sketch your design and label how each feature will be made
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Identify features that can be simplified
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Check if any tolerances can be relaxed
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Ask a colleague how they would build your design
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Break your design into fewer parts if possible
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Review failed or delayed projects and note the cause
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Learn at least one basic GD&T concept each week
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Observe how parts are machined and/or assembled
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Write down improvement ideas after each project
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Keep a running list of design mistakes to avoid
“You don’t need a big system to start,” he says. “You just need to think about the process earlier.”
30-Day Progress Tracker
Participants are encouraged to track simple progress over 30 days.
Week 1:
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Review one design with manufacturability in mind
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Identify one improvement
Week 2:
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Apply one simplification to a current project
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Talk to someone in production
Week 3:
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Build or review a prototype
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Document one lesson learned
Week 4:
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Repeat the process
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Compare results from week one
End of 30 Days:
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List 3 changes you will continue
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Share your experience with a peer
“It’s about building awareness,” Monzello says. “Once you see the impact, you don’t go back.”
A Call to Action
The “Build It Right” Pledge is open to engineers, students, machinists, and anyone involved in making products.
Participants are encouraged to take the pledge, apply the toolkit, and share it with their teams.
“Better design helps everyone,” he says. “It saves time, reduces frustration, and improves results.”
About Timothy Bradbury Monzello
Timothy Bradbury Monzello is a manufacturing professional, educator, and former Group Lead in the Manufacturing Engineering Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His career spans hands-on machining, production leadership, and advanced engineering systems. He specializes in design for manufacturability, GD&T, and operations management, and currently teaches manufacturing and machine tool technology.
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