Strategic Management for Engineers
Technical managers, supervisors and engineers who need to develop their managerial skills and make strategic decisions for their team
This course offers engineers and technical staff who are making the transition to managerial and supervisory positions an excellent opportunity to understand the differences in mindset between technical and functional thinking. Such transitions are not always successful and many engineers end up leaving their posts or the company altogether because they cannot cope with the new job requirements. This course gives engineers and technical teams the opportunity to make a successful transition from their technical comfort zone to an area that is quite different on many fronts.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Develop insight into the functions of management
- Apply project planning skills from a business perspective
- Identify and use the right performance Indicators (KPIs) to manage business performance
- Communicate and work with others to achieve the desired goals
- Acquire team-building techniques to enhance business performance
- Employ unbiased problem solving and decision-making practices
This course utilizes a number of assessments to give participants an opportunity to leverage their strong points and improve their weaknesses in order to ensure a successful transition to new functional and people responsibilities. The course also leverages open discussions around thorny issues to encourage analytical thinking and foster healthy communication. Participants will also get the chance to work in teams as they tackle multiple case studies and exercises revolving around project management and business problems.
·
The journey from technical to
managerial
o
Engineers versus management
§ Typical
issues faced by engineers when they become managers
§ The
fundamental shift in roles
§ Managing
the transition
o
Understanding the different functions of
management
o
Productivity - A management perspective
o
Essential skills for engineers
§ Technical
§ Managerial
§ Leadership
o
Management mistakes engineers need to
avoid
·
Planning and organizing tools and techniques
o
At a personal level
o
At a project management level
§ Fundamentals
of project management - A quick review
§ Scheduling
and organizing
§ Workforce
planning
§ Leading
projects successfully
o
At an organizational level
·
Managing performance
o
Engineers and business performance management
§ Setting
performance expectations
§ Working
with key performance indicators (KPIs)
§ Developing 'SMART'
business objectives
§ Business
targets and performance standards
o
Management and motivation
·
Working with others
o
Engineers as business influencers
o
Barriers to communication
o
Developing effective communication
o
Managing conflicts
·
Building successful teams
o
Teams and teamwork
o
Engineers as team leaders
o
Understanding group dynamics
o
Building high performance teams
§ Stages
of team formation
·
Problem analysis and decision making
o
Engineers as business decision makers
o
Kepner Tregoe approach to problem solving
§ Situation
appraisal
§ Problem
analysis
§ Decision
analysis
§ Potential
problem analysis
