Unit Plan

Unit code: ENS5543

Unit title: Engineering Management

Unit Overview
The main objective of this unit is to provide students with a better understanding of the
importance of managers in organisations, management as a role for engineering professionals
and extend their knowledge beyond the technical aspects of engineering. As a final year unit,
it aims to give students the skills needed for moving into the real world and introduces them
to the roles of a manager as distinct from a technical engineer. While the core aspects of
management such as time, resource and project management and interpersonal relationships
are an integral part of everyday life, this unit attempts to give students the theoretical and
practical foundations of management in the context of an engineering/business enterprise.

Starting from the role of managers at various levels, the unit introduces students to the
principles of sound management, the importance of planning in an organisation, principles of
project management, the function of financial accounting, budgeting and cost control,
microeconomics, organisational aspects of management and the process and importance of
leadership in an organisation.

With technologies advancing at an ever-increasing pace and the market place becoming
dynamic and global, an engineer is required to see beyond the immediate technical
environment and place his or her technical decisions in a business or organisational context.
With product life cycles becoming shorter, a technical product that does not meet the market
needs or adapt to the changing needs is bound to fail. Thus, an engineer should have the skills
to understand and appreciate the market needs and translate technical ability into products
that are profitable.

This unit is the first step in the preparation of engineers to look at the role of managers and
set their technical decisions in a business context. Accountability and ethical behaviour is an
integral part of a manager’s or business executive’s role. This unit also briefly examines
ethical issues in management.

Introduction
Welcome to Engineering Management. We hope that you will find this unit both informative
and enjoyable. On completion of this unit, students should be able to

1. Analyse organisational strategies for management of control and conflict within

organisations.
2. Apply appropriate tools and techniques to manage a medium scale engineering
project.
 3. Demonstrate an understanding of both strategic and short-term planning processes
and their importance in management.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of top, middle and
first-line managers with respect to planning, organising, controlling and directing
people and resources.
5. Describe and discuss various types of financial accounting and control methods.
6. Evaluate current industry best practices as it relates to organisational and project
management in medium and large scale engineering enterprises.
7. Explain the process and importance of the leadership function in relation to the
management of engineering projects within an organisation.
8. Research new engineering and project management approaches and reflect critically
on their significance to engineering practice.

Teaching and learning approach

Recorded Lectures, Online tutorials, group project work and group presentations.

Lecturer/tutor information
Name: Dr Mehrdad Raisi
Contact details: m.raisi@ecu.edu.au
Office: 5.218
Adobe Connect link: https://acp.ecu.edu.au/ens5543/

Literacy Tutor
Name: Tina Moss
Contact Details: t.moss@ecu.edu.au

Unit Coordinator
Name: A/prof Alexander Rassau
Contact details: a.rassau@ecu.edu.au
Office: 23.202

Resources
Beer, D., & McMurrey, D. (2009). A guide to writing as an engineer (3rd ed.). New Jersey:
John Wiley.
Seward, J. & Dein, T. (2005). Australian human resource management. Sydney: McGraw-Hill.
Samson, D. (2001). Management for engineers (3rd ed.). Sydney: Prentice-Hall.
Bartol, K., Tein, M., Matthews, G., Sharma, B., & Martin, D. (2010). Management: a pacific
rim focus (6th ed.). Sydney: McGraw-Hill.
Latimer, P. (2012). Australian business law (31st ed.). Sydney: CCH Australia.
Larson, E.W., Honig, B., Gray, C.F., Dantin, U. & Baccarini, D. (2014). Project management:
the managerial process. North Ryde, NSW: McGraw-Hill.

Study schedule

Week Topic/s Tutorial exercises Assignment due

1 Management functions Group formation/registration
2 Planning L1 due (Sunday 10th Dec 11.59 PM)
 3 Intro to project management
4 Project management tools A1 report due (Dec 24th 11.59 PM)
5 Organising and leading
6 Controlling L2 due (Sunday 7th Jan 11.59 PM)
7 Financial management
8 Financial management A2 report due(Jan 21st 11.59 PM)
9 Microeconomics A2 presentations
10 Microeconomics A2 presentations L3 due (Sunday 11th Feb 11.59 PM)
11 Marketing A3 presentations
12 Globalisation and ethics A3 presentations A3 report due (Feb 25th 11.59 PM)

Assignment 1 (individual)
Submission information
An electronic copy of the report must be submitted via Turnitin.
Format: Typed report worth 20%

Assignment Instructions
This assignment comprises an individual written report.

Select two business plans from the following websites, or elsewhere:

http://www.businessplanarchive.org
http://www.bplans.com
http://www.businessplans.org

Analyse and evaluate them (including comparison/contrast between the two), the report
should include:

A brief description – maximum 1 page each

Identification of the three strongest components of each plan (and why)
Identification of the three weakest components of each plan (and why)
Suggestions on how the business plans could have been improved
List of challenges faced and how you overcame them
A statement of five lessons you have learnt about business planning.
Indicate the competencies you believe you may have demonstrated and to what extent.

Anticipated length: 10 - 15 pages

Marking criteria
Item Mark
3 strong points & justification 3
3 weak points & justification 3
Demonstrated competencies 4
Analysis 4
Recommendations 3
Challenges & Lessons learnt 3
Related Learning outcomes
Demonstrate an understanding of both strategic and short-term planning processes and
their importance in management
Describe and discuss various types of financial accounting and control methods.
Assignment 2 (group)
Submission information
Only one member of the group to submit via Turnitin
Format: Typed report worth 20% and oral presentation worth 5%

Assignment Instructions
This assignment has two components: a written report and an oral presentation.
You are required to select an engineering based project (either an existing one or one
created by you). For this project you are required to produce the following:
• A full scope (review the project charter document on blackboard as a starting point)
• A complete work breakdown structure (WBS) including cost and duration estimates
for all work packages
• A Gantt chart identifying task interdependencies and milestones
• A complete PERT chart with a clear indication of the critical path and possible
slack/float times.
Your report will consist of the final deliverables WBS, Gantt and PERT charts and
scope/other documents used. You also need to provide a clear description of your project as
well as challenges faced in producing the required information and how you have overcome
them including your recommendations and lessons learnt.

Where an engineering construction project is selected it is recommended that the issues

surrounding heritage listing of the proposed construction site and their impact on the
project is given specific attention. A number of resources could be used to obtain this type
of information.

Anticipated length: 15 - 20 pages

You are additionally required to research industry best practice in relation to application
of project management tools/processes and provide recommendations in relation to case
study used in this assignment.

Oral presentation: Your group will be given 15 minutes to deliver your presentation via a live
session on adobe connect. It is mandatory for each member of the team to present a
separate section.

Marking criteria
Item Mark
Full scope 3
Charts and analysis 6
Recommendation 2
Challenges & Lessons learnt 3
Demonstrated competencies 3
Best Practice 3
Related Learning outcomes
Apply appropriate tools and techniques to manage a medium scale engineering project.
Research new engineering and project management approaches and reflect critically on
their significance to engineering practice.
Evaluate current industry best practices as it relates to organisational and project
management in medium and large scale engineering enterprises.

Assignment 3 (group)
Submission information
Only one member of the group to submit via Turnitin
Format: Typed report worth 20% and oral presentation worth 5%

Assignment instructions
This assignment has two components: a written report and an oral presentation.

Identify an organisation (each group to pick a different company) and establish contact with
at least one senior person in that company if possible. Ask that person to assess their
organisation against the 14 principles described in lecture. You should find out what
sustainability and internationalisation means to this organisation and how are they managing
these aspects of business. Additionally you should find about organisation’s cross-cultural
awareness policies (including indigenous) and their possible impact on management
processes. Discuss the assessments with that person in terms of the company’s strengths and
weaknesses. Write a summary report interpreting these assessments and suggest how the
organisation could improve its management principles, practices and performance in these
terms. Finally; include main challenges faced in producing the requirements, how you
overcame them and lessons learnt in the process.

The written report must include the following sections:

Company background/description
Survey results (1 page survey form available from blackboard. one form for each survey,
more is allowed)
Reference to organisation’s cross-cultural (including indigenous) awareness policies where
they exist and their possible impacts on management processes. Include possible
recommendations where applicable.
Company’s strengths and weaknesses
Analysis/Discussion
Recommendation
Challenges faced and how you overcame them
Lessons learnt
Appendices: including names of the company representatives that you have dealt with and
their contact details.

Anticipated length: 15 - 20 pages

You are additionally required to research industry best practice in relation to management
practices and provide recommendations in relation to the case study used in this
assignment.

Oral presentation: Your group will be given 15 minutes to deliver your presentation via a live
session on adobe connect. It is mandatory for each member of the team to present a
separate section.

Reminder:
Have a good understanding of the company and industry they operate in.
Do your homework before conducting any interview.
Dress and behave in a professional manner.
Ensure the company representative(s) understands your objectives.
Acknowledge their assistance.
Where applicable; please ensure anonymity of the participants in the survey and
confidentiality of information provided is maintained at all times.

Marking criteria
Item Mark
Strength and weaknesses 3
Recommendations 3
Company Background 1
Survey Results 1
Analysis 3
Challenges & Lessons learnt 3
Demonstrated competencies 3
Best practice 3

Related Learning outcomes

Demonstrate an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of top, middle and first-line
managers with respect to planning, organising, controlling and directing people and
resources.
Explain the process and importance of the leadership function in relation to the
management of engineering projects within an organisation.
Analyse organisational strategies for management of control and conflict within
organisations

Please note; all reports must include:

The ECU assignment cover sheet.
Names and student numbers of all group members and a clear indication of each member’s
contribution to the report where applicable.
Emailed assignments will not be accepted.

Please note that for group submissions a contribution table clearing indicating the
percentage contribution of each team member must be included in the report. It is the
responsibility of each team member to inspect and approve the final report before
submission, this includes the contents of the contribution table. Your submission will not
be assessed without this table. Note that marks scaling may occur if significant inequality
in contribution is identified in the table.

Marks will be deducted for any incorrect aspects of referencing or deviation from the
required format for the assignments.

All written unit assessments, excluding those completed under supervised conditions, may, at
the Unit Coordinator’s discretion, be extended to require an oral examination to clarify and
support the written submission. The oral examination will normally be held in person with the
Unit Coordinator but may be conducted by telephone or other means at the Unit Coordinator’s
discretion. The oral examination will be conducted as soon as possible after the assessment
but may be deferred if the student is unable to attend and can provide supporting
evidence. The oral examination will be able to override the original assessment of the written
submission. Failure to attend for an oral examination, if requested, will result in a mark of 0 for
the assessment.

Your feedback
Please note that your feedback is greatly appreciated and utilised to improve how this unit is
offered every semester. We look forward to your direct engagement and valuable comments
to ensure continuous improvement.

Some examples of improvements that have been made since this unit was last run based on
student feedback:
• Improvements in the clarity and format of the unit plan
• Streamlining in format of lecture content

Literacy Skills

The writing tutorial component of this unit will be run like a writing workshop that supports
your written reports. It is a place to work on drafts, as well as develop your drafting skills.

Why is this academic literacy component important to your engineering degree?

1. It will allow you to take accountability for the ongoing development of your language
skills
2. You'll get the chance to interact in small groups in writing, which will help you to stay
engaged in your group projects, and help you to get pieces of it finished on time.
3. It will encourage you to work on the following skills, which are required not only at
university, but also in the workplace:
a. Writing clearly with cohesion and flow
b. Writing efficiently in groups
c. Communicating effectively in cross-cultural environments
d. Critically analysing information
e. Editing and revising reports and presentations
f. Using evidence effectively, including quotations and paraphrases
g. Summarising accurately
h. Researching technical topics
 4. Writing tutors will give you language-level guidance, which isn't always available.
5. We acknowledge that some academic literacy skills are a bit dry, and their necessity
is not readily apparent to all; therefore, learning them in an authentic way must
happen through practice (so instead of only telling you the rules for a good
paragraph, you'll get the chance to practice writing one).
6. Past student assessments have demonstrated that acquisition of these skills is not
happening at the levels expected by industry.
7. Many engineering units ask you to submit group reports, which leaves room for
some students to slip through without developing their own individual skills—this
format enables individual writing to be seen and commented on as well.

Assessment information - Ongoing Blackboard participation

Marking criteria

• Addressing all discussion questions and directions.

• Communicating ideas clearly.
• Interacting with peers respectfully by posting required feedback on time.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and analysis.
• English language proficiency, including grammar and mechanics.

Literacy Skills
Literacy Assignment 1 (L1) – this is an individual assignment
Submission information
An electronic copy of the assignment must be submitted via Turnitin.
Format: Typed draft worth 10%

Assignment instructions
Provide a draft introduction for the A1 report and a draft outline of the remainder of the
report. The introduction must be properly structured with full sentences. The outline may
use bullet points.

Marking criteria
INTRODUCTION /6
• A well-structured draft introduction of your A1 assignment– refer to notes in the
Literacy Skills Week 3 folder (2)
• Clear arguments and ideas addressing the topic (2)
• Clear and concise writing free from typographical and grammatical errors (2)

OUTLINE /4
• An outline showing clear headings for each section with a brief overview of each
section (2)
• One reference using APA 6th edition referencing – the reference should be cited in-
text (in the introduction or outline) and end-text – (2)
It should also include:
• The ECU assignment cover sheet.
• Work typed on A4 size paper with 1.5 line spacing
Literacy Assignment 2 (L2) – this is a group assignment
Submission information
An electronic copy of the report must be submitted via Turnitin by one member of group
Format: Typed draft worth 10%

Assignment instructions
Each group member is to contribute a paragraph introducing the section of the A2 report
they are responsible for. Each group member’s name needs to be clearly shown directly
above their section. The group also needs to include a draft outline of the remainder of the
report. Each paragraph must be properly structured with full sentences. The outline may
use bullet points.

Marking criteria
SECTION PARAGRAPHS /6
Each group member needs to submit a well-structured paragraph introducing the
section of the A2 assignment they are responsible for (2)
Clear arguments and ideas addressing the topic (2)
Clear and concise writing free from typographical and grammatical errors (2)

OUTLINE /4
An outline showing clear headings for each section with a brief overview of each
section (2)
At least one reference using APA 6th edition referencing – the reference(s) should be
cited in-text (in the paragraphs or outline) and end-text – (2)
It should also include:
The ECU assignment cover sheet.
The names and student numbers of all group members
Work typed on A4 size paper with 1.5 line spacing

Literacy Assignment 3 (L3) – this is an individual assignment

Submission information
An electronic copy of the assignment must be submitted via Turnitin.
Format: Typed reflective piece worth 10%

Assignment instructions

Write a 700-word reflective piece on how you are developing three of your employability
skills from the job description below. You need to consider:
What have I learned/experienced from my industry placement (if completed)?
How have I developed over the semester in this and other units?
How have I developed these skills outside my coursework?
Where possible, please refer to the skills and knowledge detailed in your Pebble Pad e-
Portfolio that may relate to this assessment.

Job Description:
EDA Engineers

At EDA we remain at the forefront of technology and best practice. We are looking for
graduate entrants to help us make it happen.

Selection Criteria

Experience/Knowledge/Skills based

1. Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with staff at all
levels.
2. Ability to plan, prioritise and organise work to ensure pre-determined deadlines are
met.
3. Proven ability to display flexibility of approach in order to meet changing
requirements and situations.
4. Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
5. Interpersonal skills that indicate the ability to foster the trust and cooperation of
others.
6. Demonstrated problem solving skills including the ability to translate research and
investigations.
7. High level of computer literacy skills and ability to use common corporate software
packages, including Microsoft Office applications into clearly defined practical
solutions.
8. Good interpersonal skills with an ability to work within a multi-disciplined team
environment, engage stakeholders and work collaboratively.
9. Knowledge and capacity to implement EEO, WH&S and Environmental Management
principles.

Refer to the Literacy Skills Week 4 folder for all resources.

Marking criteria
REFLECTION CONSTRUCTION /3
A well-structured reflective piece with clear sentences and paragraphs linked to
support each other
Clear and concise writing free from typographical and grammatical errors
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS /4
Extensive evidence and personal responses to a number of issues raised in the
reflection
ARGUMENTS AND DISCUSSION /3
Clearly expressed opinions and arguments