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Article

Improving Communication, Removing Barriers

People & Culture

Jason Hegedus, Global Senior Engineering Manager, Workstream Lead for Engineering and Program Management
June 16, 2026
3-min read

When we asked our 30 divisions how they run program management, we discovered there were 30 different ways. Even something as simple as job titles could lead to confusion. If you needed to contact someone on a critical launch, do you ask for the program engineer, the launch coordinator or the junior program manager? And that was just in North America. Things got even more lost in translation in other countries.

When every factory runs program management differently, it creates uncertainty, slows us down, and makes it harder to share what works. That’s where simplifying with Back to Basics comes into our continuous improvement journey. We’re establishing new ways of working, so our transformation isn’t just a project, but the way we do things at Magna across the board.

During our first idea workshop with engineering, design and account management in January, I was expecting to collect process improvements for each discipline. I was wrong – and pleasantly surprised. The largest chunk of ideas focused on improving communication and removing barriers. It boils down to our customers. They want a supplier relationship where people talk to each other constantly, where there is a thread of communication running through every aspect of the business.

"I want to develop people who are connected to and inspired by the Magna mission."

Adriana Huntington and her mother smiling with palm trees in the background

We’re starting with something simple: creating a common structure for program management and engineering across the divisions. A first step is establishing common job titles and defining roles and responsibilities. We’re working with HR to roll those out by the end of the year.

But that’s just the beginning. I’ve done a lot of soul searching since my early days as a launch coordinator and resident engineer on everything from minivans to Maseratis at Chrysler plants. In my spare time, I’ve been an assistant den leader for Boy Scouts of America and a youth leader at my church – the adult that kids can talk to openly. In every aspect of my life, it’s about communication.

Today, the question is do I want to develop parts or people? I want to develop people who are connected to and inspired by the Magna mission. Not just the engineers, but the people on the shop floor who are doing it every 42 seconds for eight hours a day. I want to help develop a company and an effective culture, not just a process with Project Ignite.