MANAGING IN ENGINEERING : A PERSPECTIVE

1.1 Challenges of Managing In Engineering The challenges in managing engineering includes a. Complex Tasks, which impacts skill requirements, risks, work force, organizational design, innovation and creativity, multifunctional direction. b. End-date driven schedules, risks, creativity, conflict, quality, doability, make-buy decissions c. Limited Resources, impacting, Priorities, pkanning, conflict, power struggle, resourcesharing, creativity. d. Changing technology, impacting forecasting, risks, flexible planning, market success, profits, opportunities. e. Uncertainty and Risks, Engineering success, budgets, schedules, dynamic planning, and soon. f. Obsolescence, Impacting training, hiring practices, management style, computer-aided decision sipport, and soon. g. Multifunctional team building, which impacts Leadership, motivation, decisionmaking, conflict, commitments, and soon. h. Matrix leadership, impacts Resource sharing, dual accountability, power sharing, control and soon. i. Limited rewards, impacts leadership and motivation, conflict priority shifts, turnover. j. Innovation and creativity, impacts profits market success, team building, power plays, and soon. k. Resource competition, impacts conflict, planning, leadership, tom management control, priorities, and soon. 1.2 The Engineering Organization The distinction factor of the characteristics is that technology is a key element. Which mean engineerin is usually a critical link in the overall business strategy. The second distinction factor is the rapid rate of change to wich engineering organizations are subjected. The third factor is that the engineers are densely populated with technical personnel. The last factor is that engineering organizations are by and large loosely structured. 1.3 Skill Requirements for Engineering Management Managing todays engineering function requires specific skills in leadership and in technical, interpersonal and administraive areas. Moreover, these skill requirements became more complex and more crucial to effective role performance as bureacratic

hierarchies declined and multidisciplinary work groups evolved. The three main skills are Leadership skill, Technical Skill, and administrative skill.

1.4 Evolution of Modern Engineering Management Regarding to hystory, people are starting to do Engineering management has been started since 5000 BC, the sumerians. Nowadays, there are several ways on approaching the modern Engineering management. The Classical Approach The Behavioral Approach Quantitative Approaches 1.5 The Matrix Approach to Engineering The matrix organization derives from the idea that managers can be accountable for bussiness results although they have little or no direct control over the people and resources that support their activities. Despite the inevitable problems, inticacies, and understandable skepticism of executives, pressure were mointing as early 1950 for the following reasons: 1. Technological undertakings had become too multidisciplinary to be structured strictly on functional lines. 2. Large program task interfered with the ongoing business of the functional organization. 3. Increasing work-force specialization necessitated more sharing of specialists throughout the organization.

1.6 Career Perspectives The undesirable aspects of engineering management often cited are: a. Long working hours b. Stess, anxiety, pressures c. Too much administratives work d. Loss of technical expertise e. Low job security f. Limited career mobility g. Too much politics h. Too much interpersonal conflict i. Limited opportunities for technological creativity.

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