The evolution of engineering management

Any engineering enterprise that does not have at its core, strong and effective management which recognises and adapts to changing market forces will not thrive or even, perhaps, survive. The management element of engineering enterprises must, therefore, evolve-along with the business-and introduce and deliver on appropriate approaches. Engineering management can be defined as an activity devoted to the timely deployment of resources needed to satisfy the operational requirement of an enterprise within an organisational framework, leading to the delivery of its mission. A strategic requirement for this to be achieved, year on year, is for the management team to embrace a corporate vision, being the most basic statement of an organisation´s values, aspirations, goals and even ethics. Key people in an organisation must sign up to such a vision and adopt a leadership style which reflects these objectives. The author briefly discusses the development of engineering management