Objective of Engineering Management

Engineering Management is not generally understood or is misunderstood. Engineering Management is defined within probably the greatest literary work defining Engineering practices i.e., MIL-STD-XXXX, etc. Classification is a problem as engineering management should be a class on its own not just associated with the classes ‘Engineering’ or ‘Management’.The MIL-STDs have been the major corner-stone to establishing a unified approach to standardization, however, being so definitive they have become somewhat rigid in their application and understanding. They cannot be comprehended in a short space of time and anyone spending large amounts of time in their comprehension tend to detract from the original task. What is needed is a usable interpretation of the (or what they were since rationalization) MIL-STDs used with state-of-the-art communication methods to promote standardization of all large and complex technical systems at a project level. Basically, all participants in the project need instructions (preferably written) of what they must do to complete their task or objective. These can be broken down into activities and the results documented in a standardized way. This approach has a similarity to Charles Babbage's engineer "Whitworth" whose conclusion that if the analytical engine was to be built then a standardized screw thread would be necessary to keep it in tolerance and together. (Whitworth established a standardized screw thread which made possible the independent parts manufacture of the then large and complex machines (steam engines, cotton/wool manufacturing machines, industrial machines, etc.,) thus revolutionizing and establishing ‘engineering’ at the time. In modern large and complex systems the most important items have become the information (control and data) describing their architecture, use, design, interfacing, and implementation whether it be on paper or electronic media. The key is that people who do this work need detailed direction of what must be specified, defined, etc., and consequently verified and validated at all stages. This can be achieved by providing example texts to identify work instructions, code of practice, style, layout, etc., during all phases of design of a project. It is asserted that data and documentation are to a system like the screws that hold together the mechanical machines. It was the use of a common screw thread not that a screw thread was used that was important.