ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT

THE FIELD OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION
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 manger would
want to do his job well, some exposure to engineering management
activities becomes necessary.

THE 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 a very
useful tool; and the 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

400 A.D.;

4. The production of
paper and gunpowder
by the Chinese – 100
A.D.;

5. The production of steam engine and the

spinning and weaving machinery – 1601 A.D.
to 1799 A.D.; and

6. The manufacture of cars and household

appliances – modern times.

A listing of all useful tools, equipment, and projects developed

and produced by engineers will be sufficient to produce volume of
books. These contributions indicate the engineers have become an
indispensable segment of the world’s professions. This expectation
will continue for a long time.
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. The production of more food for a fast-growing world population;
 2. The elimination of air and water pollution;
3. Solid waste disposal and materials recycling;
4. The reduction of noise in various forms;
5. Supplying the increasing demand for energy;
6. Supplying the increasing demand for mobility;
7. Preventing and solving crimes; and
8. Meeting the increasing demand for communication facilities.

Specifically, the functions of engineering encompass the

following areas:
1. Research – where the engineer is engaged in the process of
learning about nature and 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 specifications 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 workability.
4. Manufacturing – where the engineer is directly in charge of
production personnel or assumes responsibility for 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 company’s customers 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 may be
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.
3. Level Three – those with a high degree of engineering jobs like
construction firms.

TYPES OF ORGANIZATION AND THE MANAGEMENT SKLLS REQUIRED OF ENGINEERS

MANAGEMENT SKILLS REQUIRED AT VARIOUS LEVELS

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.
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 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.

WHAT IS ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT?

Engineering management refers to 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 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 that 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.
MANAGEMENT DEFINED
Since the engineer manager is presumed to be technically
competent in his specialization, one way now proceeds to describe more
thoroughly the remaining portion of his job, which is management.
Management may be defined as the “creative problem solving-
process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling an
organization’s resources to achieve its mission and objectives.?”

THE PROCESS OF MANAGEMENT

Management is a process consisting of planning, organizing,
directing (or leading), and controlling.
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 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.
The specific activities in the management process are discussed
more thoroughly in the succeeding chapters.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ENGINEER MANAGER’S JOB

Depending on the type of products or services a firm produces,
the engineer manager must have the following qualifications:
1. A bachelor’s degree in engineering from a reputable school; In
some cases, a master’s degree in engineering or business
management is required;
2. A few years experiences 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.

HOW ONE MAY BECOME A SUCCESSFUL ENGINEER MANAGER

Successful engineer managers do not happen as a matter of chance,
although luck is a contributory factor. It is very important for the
engineer manager to know the various factors leading to successful
management.
Kreitner indicates at least three general preconditions for
achieving lasting success as a manager. They are as follows:
1. Ability
2. Motivation to manage, and
3. Opportunity

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 a
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 inputs, the more efficient the
civil engineer becomes.

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
organization’s objectives.
A management researcher, John B. Miner, developed a psychometric
instrument to measure objectively an individual’s motivation t 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 games 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 the crowd.
7. Sense of responsibility in carrying out the routine duties
associated with managerial work.

High scores in the foregoing dimensions are associated with high

motivation to manage.
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.

Newspaper advertisements abound with needs for engineer managers.

It is a 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 nonfinancial rewards.

SUMMARY
Engineers are known for their great contributions to the
development of the world’s civilization. There are many areas where
their presence is necessary like research, design and development,
testing, manufacturing, construction, sales, consulting, government,
teaching and management.
Engineers may be found contributing their share in the various
levels of organization.
Engineering activities need to be managed and engineers are
sometimes placed in positions where they have to learn management
skills.
Management is concerned with planning, organizing, leading, and
controlling an organization’s resources to achieve its mission and
objectives.
There are certain qualifications required of the engineer
manager.
One may become a successful engineer manager if the preconditions
of ability, motivation to manage, and opportunity to manage are met.