MXX507

Unit Description and General Aims

Engineering Management is a particular form of management that is required to successfully lead engineering or technical personnel in the execution of projects. Engineering Management can be used in either functional management or project management.
The purpose of this unit is to provide students with the opportunity to develop professional engineering attributes in alignment to the Washington Accord.
The successful engineering manager must have the skills necessary to coach, mentor and motivate technical professionals in such a way as to both to achieve the objects of the organisation and to satisfy the personal drivers and needs of the individuals.
This unit will introduce business knowledge and communication skills and adds technical knowledge necessary to lead engineering teams and execute complex solutions.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:

1. Define and evaluate information to facilitate the coordination and management of engineering works
   Bloom’s Level 5.
2. Utilise knowledge from a range of Engineering and Business sub-disciplines to coordinate and manage projects that require engineering control,
    Bloom’s Level 6
3. Evaluate and use suitable and appropriate engineering project management tools and techniques in the control of engineering works
   Bloom’s Level 5
4. Demonstrate leadership, professional behaviour and ethical practice in the context of managing engineering projects
    Bloom’s Level 6
5. Communicate effectively to all stakeholders using appropriate engineering project management systems and techniques in the control of engineering activities
Bloom’s Level 5
6. Practice engineering management with a global perspective and apply appropriate international standards
   Bloom’s Level 6
7. Perform self-reflective assessment on alignment to Washington Accord Professional Graduate Attributes
    Bloom’s Level 5
8. Demonstrate communication, interpersonal and literacy skills
   Bloom’s Level 6

Student assessment

Prescribed and Recommended Readings

Required textbook(s)

• Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), 6th Edition. Project Management Institute, 2017. ISBN: 978-1523112326
• J. Nicholas, H. Steyn, Project Management for Engineering, Business, and Technology. Routledge, 2016. ISBN: 9781317384809

Reference Materials

Number of peer-reviewed journals and websites (advised during lectures). Some examples are listed below.

• Management by Stoner J.A. and Freeman R.E.
• Great Ideas in Management by Parkinson C.N., Rustomji M.K. and Sapre S.
• Management: Principles and Practice by S.K. Mandal
• Strategic Corporate Management for Engineering, 2000 Oxford University Press
• Human Side of Project Leadership 2007 Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI)
• Project Leadership: From Theory to Practice 1998 Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI)
• Demystifying Marketing - A Guide to the Fundamentals for Engineers, 2007, Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Effective Team Leadership for Engineers, 2009, Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Effective Communication Skills for Scientific and Technical Professionals, 2000, by H.E. Chambers
• The Ten Commandments for Business Failure, 2011, D.R. Keough
• The Management Gurus: Lessons from the Best Management Books of All Time, 2008, by C. Lauer
• Technical Writing A-Z: A Common-sense Guide to Engineering Reports and Theses, by T.M. Young
• Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer (pdf), by Engineers Australia

Unit Content

One topic is delivered per contact week, with the exception of part-time 24-week units, where one topic is delivered every two weeks.

Topic 1: Communication Skills

1. Written, Oral and Non-Verbal Communication
2. Active Listening
3. Emotional Quotient
4. Conflict Resolution
5. Persuasive Language and Psychology

Topic 2: Leadership And Team Dynamics

1. Leadership
2. Management Models
3. Team Dynamics
4. Organizational Structure
5. Human Resources Management

Topic 3: Engineering Management

1. Engineering Management
2. Engineering Performance Indicators
3. Problem Solving Tools
4. Standards in Engineering Management

Topic 4: Project Management 1 (Introduction)

1. Introduction to Project Management
2. Systems Engineering
3. Development Lifecycle
4. Integration In Systems Development Projects
5. Scope management, Specification and Work Breakdown Structure

Topic 5: Project Management 2 (Time and Cost Management)

1. Activity-on-node (AON)
2. The Critical Path
3. Scheduling With Resource Constraints
4. Program Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT)
5. Cost Estimates and Escalation
6. Monte Carlo Analysis

Topic 6: Project Management 3 (Communication, Contracting and Procurement Management)

1. Project Communication Management
2. Project Contracting
3. Procurement Management
4. Stakeholder Management

Topic 7: Project Management 4 (Risk and Quality Management)

1. Risk Assessment
2. Risk Response Planning
3. Risk Analysis Methods
4. The Concept of Quality
5. Quality Management

Topic 8: Engineering Documentation

1. Technical Writing
2. Engineering Documentation, Preparation, Review and Approval
3. Logic diagrams and Flowcharts
4. Engineering Management Plans and Procedures

Topic 9: User Requirements, RFP and Reporting

1. Request For Proposal (RFP)
2. Need Definition
3. User Requirements
4. Proposal Selection
5. Reporting

Topic 10: Commercial, Legal and Organizational Engineering

1. Contract Review and Development
2. Tender and Its Preparation
3. Business Process Improvement
4. DMAIC Methodology
5. Economics and Investments
6. Intellectual Property, Business Law, and Entrepreneurship

Topic 11: Negotiation

1. Types of Negotiations
2. Negotiation Analysis
3. Develop Relationships and Power
4. Psychological Tools in Negotiation

Topic 12: Sustainable Development and Case Study

1. Sustainable Development

2. Case Study: Problem Solving Using DMAIC 
3. Case Study: Project Planning

Engineers Australia

The Australian Engineering Stage 1 Competency Standards for the Professional Engineer, approved as of 2013. This table is referenced in the mapping of graduate attributes to learning outcomes and via the learning outcomes to student assessment.

Software/Hardware Used

Software

• Software: N/A

• Version: N/A

• Instructions:  N/A

• Additional resources or files: N/A

Hardware

• N/A

Unit Changes Based on Student Feedback