ES2G3-15 Engineering Management
Introductory description
ES-13076 -15 Engineering Management
Module aims
Whilst the various technical sciences form the basis of any Engineering degree, relatively few graduate Engineers will follow careers that will focus on any one of those topics specifically; they often contribute highly specialised, ‘niche’ occupations within the sector. In contrast, the vast majority of graduate Engineers are employed to address the great demand for leadership skills in the implementation of those technical sciences, in a wide range of Project Management roles. Professionally-qualified engineers are often not involved in actually ‘making things’; they are, however highly sought-after to lead teams of skilled specialists who address the specific technical details of a project and implement the research, design or manufacturing effort. In all branches of Engineering, the projects are often large, high value undertakings that can span months or even years. It is therefore essential that the management of these projects is able to delivery against very demanding constraints of Quality, Cost and Time.
The principal aims of this module are to address these essential management skills within the Engineering environment, by covering the four main topics of Project Management, Finance (Management Accounting), Risk Management and the processes of Quality Control.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Project Management:
- Characteristics of a project
- Project management methodologies
- Project planning, monitoring and control
- Leadership and change management
Finance: - Introduction to management accounting and costing
- Costs, overheads, gross margin, net margin, profit, cash
- Financial statements, financial reporting
- Basic statistics and the use of spreadsheets
Risk Management: - Introduction to engineering and managing risks
- Risk management principles
- Risk diagnostic and analysis
- Risk treatment/reduction
- Event analysis
Quality: - Evolution of quality: inspection, quality control, quality assurance, quality management
- Quality Management Systems including ISO 9000
- Continuous improvement and overview of approaches used in manufacturing organisations e.g. Six Sigma, TPM, SPC, 7 Tools
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- 1. Discuss project management techniques and evaluate their effectiveness in project delivery commenting on the role of change management.
- 2. Recognise risk management processes and identify, evaluate and mitigate risks within an engineering activity
- 3. Develop commercial awareness and review and analyse the process and importance of management accounting and costing
- 4. Discuss approaches to quality management and demonstrate the effectiveness of continuous improvement techniques.
Indicative reading list
- Kerzner, H. R.: Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling: 12th edition (2017), Wiley.
- McLaney, E.: Accounting and Finance for Non-Specialists: 9th edition (2014), Pearson (e-book).
- Buglear, J.: Quantitative Methods for Business and Management: 1st edition (2011), Pearson (e-book).
- Meyer, T. and Reniers, G.: Engineering Risk Management: 2nd edition (2016), De Gruyter (e-book).
- Hoyle, D.: ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook: Increasing the Quality of an Organization’s Outputs: 7th edition (2018), Taylor and Francis (e-book).
- Kiran, D. R.: Total Quality Management: Key concepts and case studies: (2017) Elsevier.
Subject specific skills
Project management: : Plan, manage and lead engineering projects, specifically in terms of project planning, management of risks, commercial awareness (costs, overheads, gross margin, net margin, profit, cash), resourcing and quality assurance.
Understand the impact of management accounting and costing on the competitive performance of a business.
Perform risk management for engineering activities.
Transferable skills
Follow a methodical approach to engineering problem solving.
Prioritise quality. Follow rules, procedures and principles in ensuring work completed is it for purpose, and pay attention to detail / error checks throughout activities.
Communicate confidently to create and maintain working relationships. Be respectful.
Demonstrate a commitment to professional standards (or codes of conduct) of their employer and the wider industry.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 28 sessions of 1 hour (19%) |
| Work-based learning | 94 sessions of 1 hour (63%) |
| Private study | 28 hours (19%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
28 hours guided independent learning (including VLE use).
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A1
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Project and Risk Management | 50% | |
|
Written report to focus on the planning of a production project, incorporating specification of project management monitoring and control processes, project risk assessment including mitigation and contingency planning. |
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| Quality and Cost in Production | 50% | |
|
Review the product costing and management accounting parameters for a (provided) hypothetical product. Consider the quality control processes that would appropriately be applied and produce an overall Cost-Benefit consideration of the production process. |
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Feedback on assessment
Individual and cohort-level feedback provided for each report.
Support through advice and feedback hours.
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 3 of DESA-H360 Undergraduate Electromechanical Engineering (Degree Apprenticeship)