Introduction to

Engineering Management
03/04/2023
 Prayer
Gospel, Luke 16:19-31
19 'There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and
fine linen and feast magnificently every day.
20 And at his gate there used to lie a poor man called
Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who longed to fill himself with what fell from the rich
man's table. Even dogs came and licked his sores.
22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried
away by the angels into Abraham's embrace. The rich man
also died and was buried.
23 'In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham
a long way off with Lazarus in his embrace.
24 So he cried out, "Father Abraham, pity me and send
Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue, for I am in agony in these flames."
25 Abraham said, "My son, remember that during your life
you had your fill of good things, just as Lazarus his fill of
bad. Now he is being comforted here while you are in
agony.
26 But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has
been fixed, to prevent those who want to cross from our
side to yours or from your side to ours."
27 'So he said, "Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to
my father's house,
28 since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that
they do not come to this place of torment too."
29 Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets, let
them listen to them."
30 The rich man replied, "Ah no, father Abraham, but if
someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent."
31 Then Abraham said to him, "If they will not listen either
to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced
even if someone should rise from the dead."
What is an Engineer?
- Ingenium (Latin),
- Skillful, talent, natural capacity or clever invention,
- Early applications of clever inventions based on military,- Builders of talent military machines.

The first issue (1866) of the English Journal Engineering;

- The art of directing the great sources of power in nature, for the use and convenience of man.

Modern Definition of Engineering By ABET (Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology);What is an
Engineer?

- The profession in which a knowledge of the technical, mathematical and natural sciences gained by
study, experience and practice is applied with judgement to develop ways economically in order to
utilize the materials and forces of the nature for the benefit of mankind.

Engineer: A person applying his mathematical and science knowledge properly for mankind.
What is Management?
- Directing the actions of a group to achieve a goal in most efficient manner
- Getting things done through other people
- Process of achieving organizational goals by working with and through people and organizational
resources

- Top-level management (president, executive vice president)

- Middle-level management (chief engineer, division head etc.)
- First-line management (foreman, supervisor, section chief)
First-line management:
- Directly supervise non-managers.
- Carry out the plans and objectives of higher management using the personnel & other
resources assigned to them.
- Short-range operating plans governing what will be done tomorrow or next week, assign tasks
to their workers, supervise the work that is done and evaluate the performance of workers.

Middle-level management:
- Manage through other managers
- Make plans of intermediate range to achieve the long-range goals set by top management
- Establish departmental policies, evaluate the performance of subordinate work units & their
managers
- Provide; Integrating and coordinating function,- Orchestrate the decisions & activities of first-line
management.

Top-level management:
- Represent the whole enterprise
- Responsible for defining the character, mission and objectives of the enterprise
- Establish & review criteria for long-range plans.
- Evaluate the performance of major departments.
Managerial Skills

Managers need three (3) types of skills:

Technical: Specific subject related skills such as engineering, accounting, etc…

Interpersonal: Skills related to dealing with others and leading, motivating or controlling them.

Conceptual: Ability to realize the critical factors that will determine as organization's success or failure.
Ability to see the forest in spite of the trees.
Functions of Managers

- Planning: Selecting missions and objectives. Requires decision making.

- Organizing: Establishing the structure for the objective.
- Staffing: Keeping filled the organization structure
- Leading: Influencing people to achieve the objective Controlling: Measuring and correcting the
activities

Management can be classified into one of four categories:

1) An organizational or administrative process,

2) A science, discipline or art,
3) The group of people running an organization,
4) An occupational career.
 Engineering Management
Engineering management is the application of the practice of management to the practice of engineering. Engineering
management is a career that brings together the technological problem-solving ability of engineering and the organizational,
administrative, legal and planning abilities of management in order to oversee the operational performance of complex engineering
driven enterprise.

Engineering management combines students’ technical capabilities with leadership knowledge and skills, preparing them for
career success in highly technical organizations.
 Engineering Manager
An engineer possessing both abilities to apply engineering principles and skills in organizing and directing people and projects.

The advantages of having an engineer as a manager;

1. Has the ability of thinking systematically,
2. Has technical, mathematical & natural sciences talents,
3. Seizes the research & development as an opportunity, not a cost.
Decision Making Process
03/04/2023
 Decision Making
Decision-making is commonly thought of as the cognitive process one undergoes before choosing a particular course of action.
Engineers are trained to approach problems from a relatively more pragmatic and logical perspective. Engineers value efficiency,
utility, and minimizing cost over aesthetics and flair. Understanding how the engineering mind internalizes information and reacts
accordingly can provide insight on how the human mind makes decisions and how one can make better decisions..

Decisions are made under three types of circumstances (Roth, 2007):

• Risk: the information is unavailable, but probabilistic models can be used because the distributions of random variables are known.
• Uncertainty: the probability distributions are unavailable, but other obstacles are known (such as radiation affecting transmission from an
antenna)
• Ambiguity: functional form is unknown, and trial-and-error testing may be needed even to determine inputs and outputs
 Decision Making
The Brown University Division of Engineering (Brown University, n.d.) has defined the typical engineering decision making process
as follows:

• define clearly the objectives of solving a specific problem

• generate all possible solutions
• predict the outcome of each solution
• determine the best solution by balancing the pros and cons along with cost and benefit
 Decision Theory
Several decision models have been created to shed light how an individual commits to a decision.

• Normative models assume that individuals are perfectly rational and seek to optimize resources (Jonassen, 2012):
• Rational choice models: the individual identifies a set of options, determines the criteria (usually quantitative) for evaluating the
options, weighs each option, and selects the option with the highest score
• Cost-benefit analysis: used by corporations and governments, this type of decision-making is used when weighing business
decisions and new policies. Attempts to quantify values associated with each decision
• Risk assessment models: using probability to analyze games of chance. Evaluating expected values while considering the
consequences of both false positives and false negatives
• Narrative-based decision-making: making decisions based on explanations provided by other unreliable sources (testimonies
during trials). According to Jonassen (2012, p. 348), Jurors were twice as likely to find the defendant guilty when the
prosecution’s evidence was presented in story form, and the defense’s evidence was not.
• Identity-based decision-making: making decisions consistent with one’s image of oneself. An individual may ask him/herself:
What does a person like me do?
 Decision Making Techniques
Smart decision-making is essential when making decisions on a managerial level that may affect entire companies or even
countries. Though humans cannot behave perfectly rationally, several techniques have been developed to minimize resources and
maximize benefits (Jonassen, 2012).

• Decision matrices: list all practical options in rows. Create a set of criteria (qualitative and quantitative) and use them as the
columns of your matrix. When creating a decision matrix, the individual essentially draws out a visual representation of the pros
and cons of each option.
• SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis: when attempting to make a managerial decision, this model
allows the individual to analyze both the internal and external forces at work. Internal forces are the strengths and weaknesses
of the company, for example, and external forces are the opportunities and threats. After creating a list of variables central to
the problem at hand, break them down into these four categories and quantize them.
 Decision Making Techniques
• Force field analysis (Figure 1): examine the forces for and against a certain action.
• Argumentation: as a project manager, it may be helpful to have different people argue for different options
• Scenarios: use in times of uncertainty to consider the full extent of the possible consequence of an action. Create stories
based on previous experience or data to predict future events.
 Here Are Some Traits That Good Decision-
Makers Have in Common:
• They can determine when a decision is needed;
• They understand not all problems are equal and can make decisions on the right problems;
• Good decision-makers can accurately define a problem;
• They think through the right decision first and then think about what is acceptable;
• Good decision-makers know compromises will need to be made based on what is acceptable, and sometimes practical;
• They know that until the actions are completed no decision has been made.