BATAAN HEROES COLLEGE

Module No.1

THE FIELD OF
ENGINEERING
MANAGEMENT
ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT

ENG’R. ISAGANI C. FLORES

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Department of Engineering and Architecture

Module 1 THE FIELD OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT

Module Description
The module deals with the contributions of the engineers to the development of
the world’s civilization and why the engineers are considered an important segment of the
society and what are expected of them in general, how they may become involved in the
management of an organization and become a successful engineer manager.

Objectives of the module :

After completing the module, the students must be able to ;
1. explain the contributions of an engineer to the society and their expectations of him
in general.
2. identify the areas where the engineers are currently involved
3. enumerate the qualifications of an engineer manger and hopefully acquire them.

Introduction
Engineers are expected to perform a variety of task depending on their specialization and job
level. It is important to engineer that he knows what is expected of him so that he may be able to
perform his job effectively and efficiently. His net concern will be to identify the skills required
but which does not have. As engineers are not trained to directly deal with the people, it is
expected that their weakness will most often be on people-based skill. This difficulty will be
more apparently once they are assigned to occupy management positions. It follows that if the
Engineer manager would want to do this job well, some exposure to engineering management
activities becomes necessary.

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1. The Function of the Engineer

Since prehistoric times, mankind has benefited from the various tools, equipment, and
projects develop 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 Romans ---600 B.C. to A.D. 400;
4. The production of paper and gun powder od Chinese 100 A.D. to 1600 A.D.;
5. The production of steam engine and the spinning and weaving machinery ---1600 A.D. to
1799 A.D.; and
6. The manufacturer of cars and household appliances --- modern times.

A listing of all useful tools, equipment, and projects develop and produced by engineers will
be sufficient to produce volumes of books. These contribution indicate that 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 to them. Their outputs, new or improvements of old ones, are
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 demands for energy;
6. Supplying the increasing demands for mobility;
7. Preventing and solving crimes; and
8. Meeting the increasing demand for communication facilities.

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Specially, the functions of the engineering encompass the following areas:

1. Research – where the engineer is engaged in the process of learning 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 woks 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 for 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 task in regulating, monitoring and controlling the activities of various
institutions, public or private.
9. Teaching – where the engineer gets employment in school and 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.

2. 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:

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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.

Figure 1.1 Types of Organization and the Management Skills Required of Engineers

2.1 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 manage cannot function effectively without
adequate management skills.

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3. 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 function taught in pure management
courses be well understood by the engineer manager.

FOR IMMEDIATE HIRING

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT
This person will be responsible for the effective management of the engineering and maintenance
department.
We are looking for a licensed Mechanical Engineer, preferably with an MBA or graduate school degree.
He must carry with him at least five years experience in the operation, trouble shooting and preventive
maintenance system of all mechanical, refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment preferably gained
from a food business industry or in a manufacturing firm in a managerial capacity
We offer a very competitive compensation package and a car plan to the qualified candidate.
Interested parties, may send their comprehensive resume, application letter and a sized ID to:
BOX NO. 153 CUBAO ‘96
c/o MANILA BULLETIN

4. MANAGEMENT DEFINED
Since the engineer manger 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.

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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.”

5. 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, deicide 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.

6. 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 engineer or business management is required:
2. A few years experience in a pure engineering jobs;
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.

7. HOW ONE MAY BECOME A SUCCESSFUL ENGINEER MANAGER

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Successful engineer mangers 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 indicate 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

7.1 Ability
Managerial ability refers to the capacity of an engineer manager to achieve organizational
objectives effectively and efficiently.
Effective, 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 in to the project in relation to actual output (the 100 kilometer road). If the same output is
made with less inputs, the more efficient the civil engineer becomes.

7.2 Motivation to Manage

Many people have the desire to work and finish specific tasks assigned by superior, 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 to manage. The test is anchored to the following
dimensions:
1. Favorable attitude toward those in position of authority, such as superiors.

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2. Desire to engage in games or sports competition with peers.

3. Desire to engage in occupational or work-related competitions 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.

7.3 Opportunity
Successful manager 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 jobs, and
2. Finding a supportive climate once on the job.

Newspaper advertisement abound with needs for engineer managers. It is difficult to

determine if the firms requiring their services provide a supportive climate for effective
management. A supportive climate is characterized by the recognition of managerial talent
through financial and nonfinancial rewards.

Review Questions .
1. In what current concerns are engineering outputs needed ?
2. How would you define engineering management ?
3. How may one become a successful engineer manager ?

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Assessment
Instruction ; answer the following questions as best as you can. ( 5 pts each number)
1. What are expected of engineers in general ?
2. How may an organization classified according to the engineering jobs performed ?
3. What qualifications must an engineer manager have ?

Reference :

1. Engineering Management by Roberto G. Medina

Answers to Review Questions

1. Engineering outputs are needed in the following concerns :
a.. The production of more food for a fast growing world population
b. The elimination of air and water pollution
c. Solid waste disposal and materials recycling
d. The reduction of noise in various forms
e. Supplying the increasing demands for energy
f. Supplying the increasing demands for mobility
g. Preventing and solving crimes
h. Meeting the increasing demand for communication facilities.
2. Engineering management may be defined as the activity combining “technical
knowledge with the ability to organize and coordinate worker power, materials,
machinery, and money.
3. One may become a successful engineer manager if he has the ability, the motivation
and the opportunity to manage.

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