ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT Lecture 1 ENGINEERING Engineers are expected to perform a variety of tasks depending on their specialization and job

level. It is important to the engineer that he knows what is expected of him so that he may be able to perform his job effectively and efficiently. His next concern will be to identify the skills required but which he does not have. As engineers are not trained to directly deal with people, it is expected that their weakness will most often be on people-based skills. This difficulty will be more apparent once they are assigned to occupy management positions. It follows that if the engineer manager would want to do his job well, some exposure to engineering management activities becomes necessary. Functions of the Engineer Since prehistoric times, mankind has benefited from the various tools, equipment, and projects developed by engineers. Among these are the following: 1. the stone bladed axe which was very useful tool; and irrigation system used to promote crop growing 6000 to 3000 B.C.; 2. the Pyramids of Egypt 3000 to 600 B.C.; 3. road building by the Romans 600 B.C. to A.D. 400; 4. the production of paper and gunpowder by the Chinese 100 A.D. to 1600 A.D.; 5. the production of steam engine and spinning and weaving machinery 1601 A.D. to 1799 A.D.; and 6. the manufacture of cars and household appliances modern times Even as engineers are currently producing solutions to many of the difficulties faced by mankind, much is still expected of them. Their outputs, new or improvements of old ones are very much needed in the following specific problem concerns: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. the production of more food for a fast growing world population; the elimination of air and water pollution; solid waste disposal and materials recycling; the reduction of noise in various forms; supplying the increasing demand of energy; supplying the increasing demand for mobility; preventing and solving crimes; and meeting the increasing demand for communication facilities.

1/7

Specifically, the functions of engineering encompass the following areas: 1. Research where the engineer engaged in the process of learning about nature codifying this knowledge into usable theories. 2. Design and Development where the engineer undertakes the activity of turning a product concept to a finished physical item. Design for manufacturability and value engineering teams (a feature of some companies) are charged with improvement of designs and specification at the research, development, design, and production stages of product development. 3. Testing where the engineer works in a unit where new products or parts are tested for work-ability. 4. Manufacturing where the engineer is directly in charge of production personnel or assumes responsibility of the product. 5. Construction this is where the construction engineer (a civil engineer) is either directly in charge of the construction personnel or may have responsibility for the quality of the construction process. 6. Sales where the engineer assists the companys costumer to meet their needs, especially those that require technical expertise. 7. Consulting where the engineer works as consultant of any individual or organization requiring his services. 8. Government where the engineer may find employment in the government performing any of the various tasks in regulating, monitoring, and controlling the activities of various institutions, public or private. 9. Teaching where the engineer gets employment in a school and is assigned as a teacher of engineering courses. Some of them later become deans, vice presidents, and presidents. 10. Management where the engineer is assigned to manage groups of people performing specific tasks. THE ENGINEER IN VARIOUS TYPES OF ORGANIZATION From the viewpoint of the engineer, organizations maybe classified according to the degree of engineering jobs performed: 1. Level One those with minimal engineering jobs like retailing firms. 2. Level Two those with a moderate degree of engineering jobs like transportation companies.
2/7

3. Level Three those with a high degree of engineering jobs like construction firms. Types of Organization and the Management Skills Required of Engineers

The Firms Quantity of Engineering Jobs Management Skills Required at Various Levels Level 1 Among the types of organizations, the engineer will have a slim chance of becoming the general manager or president of level one, unless of course, he owns the firm. The engineer manager may be assigned to head a small engineering unit of the firm, but there will not be too many firms which will have this unit. Level 2 In level two firms, the engineer may be assigned to head the engineering division. The need for management skills will now be felt by the engineer manager. Level 3 Level three firms provide the biggest opportunity for an engineer to become the president or general manager. In this case, the engineer manager cannot function effectively without adequate management skills.

3/7

MANAGEMENT Since the engineer manager is presumed to be technically competent in his specialization, one may now proceed to describe more thoroughly the remaining portion of his job, which is management. Management - defined as the creative problem solving-process of planning, organizing, leading or directing, and controlling an organizations resources to achieve its mission and objectives. - the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. - since organizations can be viewed as systems, management can also be defined as human action, including design, to facilitate the production of useful outcomes from a system. This view opens the opportunity to 'manage' oneself, a pre-requisite to attempting to manage others. Organization - a group of one or more people or entities Functions of Management 1. Planning - a process for accomplishing purposes - a blue print of business growth and a road map of development - helps in deciding objectives both in quantitative and qualitative terms - setting of goals on the basis of objectives and keeping in the resources. - Integrating the different departments and involves budgeting, legal perspective 2. Organizing - act of rearranging elements following one or more rules - involves quality control, development and assurance 3. Directing or Leading - directing influence to someone else for a common goal - the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task 4. Controlling - involves inspection - an important function because it helps to check the errors and to take the corrective action so that deviation from standards are minimized and stated goals of the organization are achieved in desired manner. Explained in a simple manner, management must seek to find out the objectives of the organization, think of ways on how to achieve them, decide on
4/7

the ways to be adapted and the material resources to be used, determine the human requirements of the total job, assign specific tasks to specific persons, motivate them, and provide means to make sure that the activities are in the right direction. ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT Engineering Management - refers the activity combining technical knowledge with the ability to organize and coordinate worker power, materials, machinery, and money. When the engineer is assigned to supervise the work of even a few people, he is already engaged in the first phase of engineering management. His main responsibility is to lead his group into producing a certain output consistent with the required specifications. The top position of an engineer manager may hope to occupy is the general managership or presidency of any firm, large or small. As he scales the management ladder, he finds the higher he goes up, the less technical activities he performs, and the more management tasks he accepts. In this case, it is but proper that the management functions taught in pure management courses be well understood by the engineer manager. Requirements for the Engineer Managers Job Depending on the type of products or services a firm produces, the engineer manager must have the following qualifications: 1. a bachelors degree in engineering from a reputable school; In some cases, a masters degree in engineering or business management is required; 2. a few year experience in a pure engineering job; 3. training in supervision 4. special training in engineering management. These qualifications will be of great help to the engineer manager in the performance of the various management functions. Factors leading to Successful Management. Kreitner indicates at least three general preconditions for achieving lasting success as a manager. There are as follows: 1. ability 2. motivation to manage, and 3. opportunity

5/7

1. Ability Managerial ability refers to the capacity of an engineer manager to achieve organizational objectives effectively and efficiently. Effectiveness, according to Higgins, refers to a description of whether objectives are accomplished, while efficiency is description of the relative amount of resources used in obtaining effectiveness. To illustrate: If a civil engineer was asked by his superiors to finish a 100-kilometer road cementing project within eight months, he is said to be effective if he finished the job within the required period. On the other hand, his efficiency is measured by the inputs (labor and materials) he poured into the project in relation to the actual output (the 100 kilometer road). If the same output is made with less input, the more efficient the civil engineer becomes. 2. Motivation to Manage Many people have the desire to work and finish specific tasks assigned by superiors, but not many are motivated to manage other people so that they may contribute to the realization of the organizations objectives. A management researcher, John B. Miner, developed a psychometric instrument to measure objectively an individuals motivation to manage. The test is anchored to the following dimensions: 1. Favorable attitude toward those in positions of authority, such as superiors. 2. Desire to engage in game or sports competition with peers. 3. Desire to engage in occupational or work related competition with peers. 4. Desire to assert oneself and take charge. 5. Desire to exercise power and authority over others. 6. Desire to behave in a distinctive way, which includes standing out from crowd. 7. Sense of responsibility in carrying out the routine duties associated with managerial work. 3. Opportunity Successful managers become possible only if those having the ability and motivation are given the opportunity to manage. The opportunity for successful management has two requirements: 1. Obtaining a suitable managerial job, and 2. Finding a supportive climate once on the job

6/7

Newspaper advertisements abound with needs for engineer managers. It is little difficult to determine if the firms requiring their services provide a supportive climate for effective and efficient management. A supportive climate is characterized by the recognition of managerial talent through financial and non financial rewards.

7/7