Engineering management is defined as the field that relates to the application of engineering principles to the planning and operational management of industrial and manufacturing operations. Engineering managers are equipped with the know-how to plan and manage these sorts of operations. Engineering Management programs normally involves instruction in accounting, engineering economy, financial management, industrial and human resources management, industrial psychology, management information systems, mathematical modeling and optimization, quality control, operations research, safety and health issues, and environmental program management.

An engineering manager will usually need training and experience in both general management which will often include business administration and the specific engineering disciplines that will be employed by the engineering team that he or she will manage. Additionally, a successful engineering manager must completely understand that the factors that motivates some individuals to pursue careers in engineering are normally very different than those that motivates individuals who are strongly business minded. Subsequently, the skills that are essential to coach, mentor and motivate technical professionals are not the same as those that are needed for individuals in other fields. The engineering manager must essentially be have the ability to relate to the engineers he or she will manage.

There are various education and certification programs available that can provide Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D degrees in this field. Undergraduate programs provide generalist degrees that enable engineers to cope more effectively in the business environment. Master of Engineering Management (MEM) provides a technical-based alternative to the traditional MBA programs. Industrial and professional associations like engineers’ societies also offer certification programs that will aid in the validation of engineering management knowledge and skills. The specialization areas that may be observed in both degree and certification programs may be comprised of management of technology, product and process, quality, organizational management, operations management, program management, marketing and finance.

Formal Engineering Management education is typically conveyed at the graduate level and is also an academic field that is attaining more interest. Candidates for engineering management must possess an academic undergraduate degree with a major in engineering, computer science, mathematics or the sciences. The duration of study for this type of degree is primarily between a year and two and the completed degree may be designated as a Master of Engineering Management, MS in Engineering Management, MS in Technology or Innovation Management, Master of Business and Engineering or MS in Management Science & Engineering, depending on the university that offers the degree. Engineering Management students are expected to possess a variable amount of work experience before enrolling, which is mostly determined by program requirements. The degree generally includes units covering Management, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Finance, Optimization, Innovation, Operations and Project Management, among many other areas. Students in this sort of program primarily choose to specialize in one or more sub-disciplines such as Marketing, Finance, Healthcare and Energy.

Once an individual attains the mastery level in Engineering Management then he or she will be able work within that field.

Source by Herbert Rylant

Many of these firms know who their paymasters are. They had been able to develop very excellent working relationship with their clients that make them kept returning with more assignments. Even though they have excellent working relationships, they always clarify the scopes of works required right from the beginning of the project.

This is very important as many clients have high expectation towards their consulting engineers. It is alright to be frank with them as to what you could or could not do. If certain projects or assignments are beyond your capability, you should acknowledge your own shortcomings and advice them to employ other experts. Many said that “honesty is the best policy”, and this advice still stands today.

You may end up losing the project to another engineering consultant firm, but it is still better than to secure the job but unable to perform. Many customers appreciate your frankness and openness and would likely return to you for other projects. You also avoid the risk of being entangled in law suit filed by the client.

When you first submit your proposal to a potential client, be as clear as possible about your scopes of work. You should always be affirmative in describing to the client on why he should engage you instead of other engineers. Present clearly the benefits of engaging you versus the cost.

Some consulting engineers also committed the mistakes of spending too much time trying to convince a prospect client. However, there are no fixed rules on how much effort you should spend. Just stick to your business sense and let your intuition guide you.

There are also many engineers who established their own consulting engineering firm thinking that they no longer need to work for somebody else. This is wrong. In fact, instead of just working for one boss previously, you will now have many “bosses” as all your clients are your paymasters.

You may need to work twice as hard but always bear in mind that whatever effort that you have put into your own firm, one day you will enjoy the fruit of your own labour. It may take many years before you can see your business prosper, but the satisfaction gained from building an enterprise by itself is already a satisfying process.