Teaching undergraduates fundamental engineering management concepts

Summary form only given. Developing products that require a high degree of cross-functional integration (mechanical-electrical-software) places new demands upon undergraduate education. New hires or junior engineers must be capable of functioning in and contributing to a team-oriented environment. This paper discusses the results of teaching fundamental engineering management concepts, such as market-driven product requirements, concurrent and simultaneous engineering, GANTT and CPM scheduling, decision making, and uncertainty and risk analysis, to undergraduate mechanical and electrical engineering students. Portland State University's School of Engineering expanded the senior capstone course, called Design Methods, for mechanical engineering students to include the instruction of fundamental engineering management concepts. The main objective of the course is to introduce the design process and give the students practical experience as exemplified through well-defined, structured case studies and a two-term design project. Several original design problems are obtained primarily from local industry to be performed by groups of 3 to 5 students under the supervision of a faculty and industry advisor operating in a broader academic-industrial setting. The full scope of a realistic design project is thus experienced. The course has been successful and has been expanded to include electrical engineering students. Feedback from industry suggests that the students who have participated in this program are better prepared, have improved communication skills, and function well in team-oriented design projects.