Question

Scenario:
You have recently gained employment as a Trainee Engineering Manager with a large multinational company which manufactures electrical machines and transducers, including transformers, motors, generators, sensors and actuators.

Your line manager has tasked you with creating a report to indicate your level of knowledge in engineering management.

Activity:
Within your report you have specifically been instructed to provide written solutions to the following questions.
Task:
a) Discuss the main features of project and operations management tools used to manage activities and various resources within the engineering industry. What are the most effective tools to employ when managing activities and optimising the allocation of resources? Present a table which compares the relative merits of such tools.

b) Compare what can be used to improve management processes within the engineering industry? Which activities will improve management strategies? How do you think management strategies may be improved in certain circumstances or situations?

Answer 1

Trainee Engineering Managers work under the guidance of a Manager, fulfilling various allocated jobs ranging from assisting Manager or supervisor staff with new projects, conducting research, offering suggestions on existing methods, writing reports and action plans, and managing resources and data.

a.1. Discuss the main features of project and operations management tools used to manage activities and various resources within the engineering industry.

Project management is the application of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the roles of a team or group to attain specific objectives and meet specific success benchmarks or methods at the specified time. Operations management is the administration area of business practices to create the highest level of efficiency and operate the best possible managerial resources within the purview of an organization. It is concerned with converting resources and workforce labor into final goods and services as efficiently to maximize the profit of an organization.

As a Trainee Engineering Manager, the role is balanced and a mixture of both project and operation management. The role is active, with a fixed start and end date to innovate a new outcome, whereas an operation efficiency is mandatory and it must come outside the scope of a project, fixed and focused on efficiency.

Main features of project and operation management:

Objective and schedule: Every project has a specific goal to reach. It has a unique goal or model to attain. So the objective describes the route map of the project. Pin in time in which they must be fully filled. Every project has a plan for carrying out a method or procedure, giving protocols of intended tasks and timelines.

Risk Management: It refers to the practice of finding potential risks in advance, verifying them, and taking protective steps to reduce or avoid the risk. Unforeseen situations happen every time, during each and every stage of project development and they have different influences on plans and project patterns.

Resource Management: It is an integral part of software development projects. It can be like machinery, your group, and expenditures or resource cost. It is of the highest point for those who want to not only prepare tasks but to calculate resource costs. Therefore, it’s very convenient and helpful when a project management tool support more on resource management function.

Team Collaboration: It is important to collaborate and communicate with your group or team. Well-timed, clear communication during development or improvements is a must. This is where great thoughts arise to make your project better.

Baseline and Estimates: A baseline is a clear way and it defined starting timeline for your project plan. It is a stable reference point to track and compare your progress against the other. This allows your team or group to assess or evaluate the performance of your project over time. Estimates involving a quantitative calculation of project costs, resources, or timelines. Accurate estimates are the basis of better project planning.

a.2. What are the most effective tools to employ when managing activities and optimizing the allocation of resources?

Effective utilization of resources, and tools to employ in project and resource management help businesses to reach new heights of success. On the other hand, ineffective utilization will lead to huge losses.

Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) and Gantt Charts are two of the most commonly used project management tools used to employ or managing activities for an effective usage of resources.

Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT): PERT is a planning and control tool that helps the team for defining and controlling the works necessary to finish a project. It showcases the total project with all scheduled works in sequence.

Gantt charts: It is used to display calendar time task assignments in days, weeks, or months. The chart uses graphic representations to showcase the start, elapsed, and finish times of each specific task within a project. These tools are best suitable for tracking the progress of a particular project.

a.3. Present a table which compares the relative merits of such tools?