Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Management

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Suzanna Long, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Hector Carlo, University of Puerto Rico; Jane Fraser, Colorado State University, Pueblo; Abhijit Gosavi, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Scott Grasman, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

management systems. She was a faculty researcher on a Business and International Education Grant funded by the Department of Education, completing projects on multimodal transport networks and international and global supply chain curriculum development. She completed preliminary work on global, multi-institutional collaborative student teams referenced in this proposal as part of the BIE grant award. Dr. Long is currently a co-investigator on a related Missouri DOT project and is an investigator on a sustainable waste water treatment project in EPA Region 7 funded by Missouri S&T’s Energy Research Development Center. Dr. Long has over twenty five conference and journal publications, is a

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anoop Desai, Georgia Southern University; Jean-Claude Thomassian, State University of New York, Maritime College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

lucrative for working professionals as well asdistance learners. The paper examines how the basic principles of Six Sigma were systematicallyapplied to curriculum development to not only ensure quality of the program but also toexpressly address needs of the students and industry.IntroductionAs engineers, scientists, and technologists advance in their careers, they encounter an increasingexpectation of project and team management. At the same time, these technical specialists areoftentimes poorly prepared to take on these additional job responsibilities. A Master of Sciencein Engineering Management degree is designed to help technical professionals take this next stepin their career. In addition to added technical exposure, this well-rounded degree

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Ronald Rosenberg, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

research focused on early engineering; his current research is supported by NSF/DUE and NSF/CISE.Ronald Rosenberg, Michigan State University Ron Rosenberg is Chairperson Emeritus of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Michigan State University, and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Emeritus of the College of Engineering, MSU. Prof. Rosenberg currently serves as Associate Dean for Special Projects, College of Engineering, MSU. His recent focus is on strengthening engineering undergraduate education and engineering education research. He is a mainstay in the development of a new curriculum for the Applied Engineering Sciences major at MSU. Prof. Rosenberg is a systems level

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Abel, Stevens Institute of Technology; Anirban Ganguly, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

repeatedlyobserved that most of the fresh graduate Engineering Managers generally enter an organizationnot just as a traditional hardcore engineer, but also as project managers, technical sales people,systems engineers, systems analysts, and so on (Abel, 2005; Farr and Kotnour, 2005). As aresult, the competencies of a typical engineering manager should extend well beyond thetraditional engineering skills to technical and managerial skills as well, and with the blurringboundaries between engineering/technology and management, these overlapping roles can proveto be very important for an organization to remain relevant in the modern economy.The rapidly growing importance of engineering managers in the industry has in turn led to agrowing importance of EM

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Management

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Czuchry, East Tennessee State University; Michael Parker, Bristol Tennessee Essential Services; Robert Bridges, B&W Y-12 Technical Services, LLC

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

courses in termsof importance to the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge. Then, they concluded that “four topics (a) Engineering Economics/Financial Management, (b) Management in TechnicalOrganizations, (c) Project Management, and (d) Operations Research” were important to mostprograms with “two additional topics common to the five to eight positions in both lists: (e)Strategic Management and (f) Organizational Behavior.” Interestingly, Environmental Policyand Sustainable Development were at the bottom of both lists at 28th and 22nd place respectively.This finding suggests that sustainability education was of minor importance for graduateengineering management programs prior to 2007. Some things may have changed. However,there is still an

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Timmer, University of Texas, Pan American; Miguel Gonzalez, University of Texas, Pan American; Connie Borror, Arizona State Universtiy; Douglas Montgomery, Arizona State University; Carmen Pena, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

. Most reported it increased their understanding and confidence in their ability to use SPCtools, develop benchmarks and formulate a quality improvement plan. Students also indicated Page 15.1185.10that the laboratory should be used for future classes.Future ResearchThis laboratory has been taught the most and is closest to be completed. The most pressing needis to improve the project description regarding benchmarks for production and defect rate. Thecurrent implementation is well suited for kinesthetic/tactile and visual learners due to thegraphical nature of the websites and the opportunity to “mouse around” the websites. Howeverthere is

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Management

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

the customer.Cross functional teams are, according to Wild, Wild, and Han30 (2006), “composed of employeeswho work at similar levels in different functional departments. They work to develop changes inoperations and are well-suited to projects requiring coordination across functions, such as Page 15.493.4reducing … time” (p. 336). A team of experts is assembled from throughout the organization toattack and resolve a critical issue by collectively using resources from every department orfunctional area. In this way the problem is now being addressed simultaneously by the entireorganization rather than a single department or functional area at

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Management

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

decreases, our actual cost per hour increases. 8. We are on a true, Toyota Production System “Lean Journey,” which we began in July this year. We are at the midpoint of Phase 1, the first six months of an expected three-year project. So far we have made great strides considering the short time. If we achieve target of 15% cost and lead time reduction by the end of January our Lean consultant will be assigned the next phase in this Die Factory System. 9. Use of digital product definition and model based definition to drive the manufacturing process and inspection, development of automation to assist in readying models for manufacturing and entry into ERP system. 10. Many items have already

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Timmer, University of Texas, Pan American; Miguel Gonzalez, University of Texas, Pan American; Connie Borror, Arizona State Universtiy; Douglas Montgomery, Arizona State University; Carmen Pena, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

. The conclusion is that the project description needsto be improved so that students have adequate guidance to provide the desired solution.Examining the results of the student survey, it is apparent that the students view the laboratory ashelpful. Most reported it increased their understanding and confidence in their ability to develop,implement and evaluate control charts for variables. Students also indicated that the laboratoryshould be used for future classes.Future ResearchThere is still much work left to finalize this laboratory. The most pressing need is to improve theproject description regarding benchmarks for production and quality. The currentimplementation is well suited for kinesthetic/tactile and visual learners due to the

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Management

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

organizational performance. Dervitsiotis17 (2004) proposed a systematicapproach to performance management that viewed the organization as a living entity optimizedas a whole. Morgan38 (2003) asserted that organizations implement PM systems that reflectmanagement’s abilities and beliefs along with those of the workers. Franco-Santos and Bourne18(2005) found that a successful PM system required a commitment from top management,enabled workers, and open communication. Bititci, Turner, and Begemann7 (2000) investigatedhow information technology (IT) systems could perform self-auditing functions using variousmanagement tools. Nudurupati and Bititci43 (2005) concluded that IT support was able toidentify weaknesses, enhance improvement projects, and improve