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Each month in 2023, we’re focusing on one of the 10 essentials we all need for success in these fast-changing times. This month, we’re highlighting strategic mindset, which is about seeing the big picture, connecting vision and action, and formulating a clear way forward.

We talked with Houston-based U.K.-based Remyi Fredson-Cole, the chief IT engineer on our Johnson Space Center contract, about what it means to be strategic in your career.

What year did you join ��Ӱֱ��?

In 2016, I started as an Enterprise IT Lead, which was like a CIO for the ��Ӱֱ�� side of our NASA relationship. I was responsible for all the enterprise IT solutions NASA needed at Johnson Space Center.

How did you evolve to where you are?

In my role, I was able to see the silos – and I started to help make connections so others could see the bigger picture too. I would say, “Well, hold on. The reason we’re having inefficiency issues is that we’re not linking all these task orders. I see A and B, and E and F, but what happened to D?”

It’s the integration that becomes the problem, especially when one group is designing models for some activity, and another group needs to use those models to do fabrication. They’re two different systems but they should work together – so it’s leveraging the same data platform to streamline and automate, and helping others see the relationships so they’re able to create links.

What’s the highlight of your journey so far?

Helping bring SIERRA Cloud to life. This was the result of the same challenge – one group doesn’t know what the other is doing. We have five or six partners, all working to develop the flight software for the Orion spacecraft, which is what will take humans to the moon and beyond. We don’t have time to have everyone do their own work and then come together – so this was NASA’s first software development platform we can all use to collaborate in real time.

What tips do you have for others?

• Continually and organically find opportunities to be a value add.
• Take the active approach of closing the loop on action items and responsibilities, “If not you, then who?”
• Seek out activities you’re passionate and interested in.