As organizations strive to implement Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), there are significant discussions about model-based languages, tools, and the potential benefits of MBSE. However, discussions not occurring, but should be, are the implementation challenges. Issues such as: (i) a comprehensive understanding or the organization’s vision and goals for the MBSE environment; (ii) establishing a comprehensive model – the proverbial “single source of technical truth;” (iii) the governance and management of the MBSE environment; (iv) establishing an infrastructure and support environment that allows for collaboration and communication across stakeholders; and, (v) realizing the need, and establishing a plan, for organizational culture change. This paper discusses implementation challenges, associated with those five issues, that must be overcome to transition to a true MBSE environment. This narrative is important because the successful realization of a MBSE environment requires a well-planned implementation to fundamentally change the way organizations perform systems engineering.