University of Wah Department of Mechatronics Engineering UNIVERSITY OF WAH WAH ENGINEERING COLLEGE Department of Mechatronics Engineering Assignment # 01 Course Title: Engineering Management Semester: Spring 2023 Total Marks: 15 Student Name: Course Teacher: Talla Noreen Course Code: MGT-401 Date: 02-03-23 Reg No: Assignment Title: Challenges of Management Course Learning Outcome Program Learning Outcome CLO-1 PLO-6 Learning Domain Cognitive 2 [7.5+7.5 points] Q-1 Explain the role of management, citing a live practical example of an industry. Q-2 Outline the most common symptoms of an inadequate organization structure. Page 1 of 1 Engineering Management (MGT-401) Assignment#01 Engineering Management Q-1 Explain the role of management, citing a live practical example of an industry. Management: Management is the coordination and administration of tasks to achieve a goal. Such administration activities include setting the organization’s strategy and coordinating the efforts of staff to accomplish these objectives through the application of available resources. Management can also refer to the seniority structure of staff members within an organization. Functions of management: Planning Organizing Leading Controlling 1. Planning: In the planning stage, managers establish organizational goals and create a course of action to achieve them. During the planning phase, management makes strategic decisions to set a direction for the organization. Managers can brainstorm different alternatives to achieve the objective before Engineering Management (MGT-401) Assignment#01 choosing the best course of action. While planning, managers typically conduct an in-depth analysis of the organization’s current state of affairs, taking into consideration its vision and mission and evaluating what resources are available to meet organizational objectives. There are several approaches to planning: Strategic planning: This type of planning is often carried out by an organization’s top management and usually creates goals for the entire organization. Operational planning: Operational planning is the process of using tactical planning to achieve strategic planning and goals. 2. Organizing The purpose of organizing is to distribute the resources and delegate tasks to personnel to achieve the goals established in the planning stage. Managers may need to work with other departments of the organization, such as finance and human resources, to organize the budget and staffing. During the organizing stage, managers strive to create a work environment conducive to productivity. 3. Leading Leading consists of motivating employees and influencing their behavior to achieve organizational objectives. Leading focuses on managing people, such as individual employees, teams and groups rather than tasks. Directing: The manager leads by deciding with little input from the employee. This is an effective leadership style for new employees who need a lot of initial direction and training. Coaching: The manager is more receptive to input from employees. They may pitch their ideas to employees to work cooperatively and build trust with team members. individuals who need managerial support to further develop their skills. Delegating: The leader provides a minimum of guidance to employees and is more concerned with the vision of the project than day-to-day operations. This style of leadership is effective with employees able to work and perform tasks on their own with little guidance. Engineering Management (MGT-401) Assignment#01 4. Controlling Controlling is the process of evaluating the execution of the plan and making adjustments to ensure that the organizational goal is achieved. During the controlling stage, managers perform tasks such as training employees as necessary and managing deadlines. Managers monitor employees and evaluate the quality of their work. Practical Examples: 1. In a civil engineering firm, the management team may plan the construction of a new highway. This involves setting goals for the project, developing a timeline and budget, and identifying the resources needed to complete the project. 2. In a manufacturing company, the management team may organize the production line to ensure that it runs smoothly. This includes setting up the assembly line, assigning tasks to workers, and ensuring that the necessary materials are available. 3. In an electrical engineering firm, the management team may monitor the quality of the products being manufactured. This includes testing and inspecting the products, identifying any defects, and taking corrective action to ensure that the products meet industry standards. Q-2 Outline the most common symptoms of an inadequate organization structure. The organizational structure of a business is the framework that facilitates communications and efficient work processes. When business problems emerge, signs often exist within the design or components of the organizational structure. Engineering Management (MGT-401) Assignment#01 In some cases, these signs can be early indicators of significant problems that need to be addressed before causing financial disruption in the company. Irrational Hierarchy Structure: Generally, flat organizational structures are suitable for startups, while large enterprises may need multi-level organizational structure. You should set a specific hierarchical structure according to your team size and strategic objectives. In large enterprises, CEOs should not directly set tasks to interns, since such processes should be done by directors or department managers. In small and medium-sized companies, however, a strict hierarchy may hinder sales opportunities. Role Confusion: Confusion of roles wastes company resources and reduces profits. For example, multiple employees are responsible for the same project that only one person needs to complete; or a project team receives commands from different superiors etc. These may due to the overlap of management or department managers value the interests of their teams more than the company as a whole. Workload Imbalance: A poor organizational structure will lead to unequal distribution of workload among different departments, e.g. some departments of a company may often work overtime, while staffs from other departments have nothing to do. Wrong Reporting Relationships: If your brand, business decision-making or related departments set daily tasks only for your sales or operations departments, then it may cause your team to fail to develop the long-term quality of your brand. These may also be a sign of the loss of long-term competitiveness of enterprises. Engineering Management (MGT-401) Assignment#01 Examples: 1. In a large engineering firm, different departments may work independently of each other, leading to duplication of efforts. For example, the marketing department may create promotional material without consulting the engineering department, resulting in the creation of materials that do not align with the company's values. 2. In a software development company, the development team may not be aware of the project's scope, leading to low productivity levels. This can result in missed deadlines and poor-quality products being delivered to customers. 3. In an established engineering firm, the management team may be resistant to change and unwilling to implement new processes or procedures. This can result in employees being resistant to change, leading to a lack of innovation and stunted growth for the company. References: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/basic-functions-of-management https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-management https://www.zippia.com/advice/four-functions-of-management/ https://www.predictiveindex.com/blog/3-signs-you-have-poor-organizational-structure/ https://professionalgrowthsystems.com/organizational-growth/structure-right-problem/
