The intersection of software development and product engineering development can build a strong competitive advantage in new product performance. Jeff Meyers will describe his experiences starting up a software design process and Toro. He will describe his practices building software talented people. He will describe the process and people ‘constraints’ and ‘enablers.’ Collaborating with Toro’s mechanical design people and talent, Jeff’s software developers have improved the quality, safety and productivity of Toro’s commercial products. These improvements result in high levels of customer satisfaction for the ‘smart’ product design the market expects from Toro.