Management engineering

Management engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on optimizing complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials and/or processes. Management engineers strive to improve upon existing processes, products or systems. Management Engineering draws upon the principles and methods of engineering analysis and synthesis, as well as the mathematical, physical and social sciences together with the principles and methods of engineering design to specify, predict, and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems or processes. Unlike many other engineering disciplines, Management Engineering puts a focus on the social impact of the product, process or system that is being analyzed.

Examples of where management engineering might be used include designing an assembly workstation, strategizing for various operational logistics, consulting as an efficiency expert, developing a new financial algorithm or loan system for a bank, streamlining operation and emergency room location or usage in a hospital, planning complex distribution schemes for materials or products (referred to as Supply Chain Management), and shortening lines (or queues) at a bank, hospital, or a theme park. Management engineers typically use computer simulation (especially discrete event simulation), along with extensive mathematical tools and modeling and computational methods for system analysis, evaluation, and optimization.

History

Areas of management engineering

Operations research and supply chain management

Operations research deals with quantitative models of complex operations and uses these models to support decision-making in any sector of industry or public services. Supply chain management is the process of planning, implementing and managing the flow of goods, services and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption.^[1]

Information technologies

The information technologies theme focuses on how technology is designed and managed to support effective decision-making. Topics deal with technical applications in software design and development, data mining and telecommunication as well as the organizational and social issues associated with the use of information technologies.^[1]

Decision engineering

Decision engineering seeks to use engineering principles in the creation of a decision, which it views as an engineering artifact in its own right. From this point of view, the creation of a decision includes agreeing to objectives, developing a detailed specification, and then creating a decision model, which captures the key cause-and-effect elements of the decision environment (a systems thinking approach) with a focus on the particular decision, instead of the entire system (which can be otherwise intractable). Like other engineered artifacts, a decision model can be subject to Quality assurance review, and-since it is documented-is amenable to Process improvement over time. Decision engineering models draw from the information technologies described above for data supporting the decision, but are distinguished from IT in that they model the decision, not just the data supporting it.

Management of Technology

The Management of Technology theme builds on the foundation of management topics in accounting, finance, economics, organizational behavior and organizational design. Courses in this theme deal with operational and organizational issues related to managing innovation and technological change.^[1]

Difference Between Management Engineering and Industrial Engineering

Industrial Engineering is a mature field. However, with the permeation of computing technology, information systems, and analytical problem solving methods, a new breed of professional with both management abilities and a thorough understanding of modern technologies is required. Management Engineers apply many of the same tools and techniques that are used by Industrial Engineers. However, the core of the Management Engineering program has greater depth of training in modern information systems, operations research and general management. ^[2]

Management Engineering and the Institute of Industrial Engineers

See also

Engineering Management Industrial Engineering Ergonomics INFORMS Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering Institute of Industrial Engineers Institution of Electrical Engineers List of industrial engineers List of production topics

List of universities with industrial engineering faculty Management Consulting Management engineering (healthcare) Management science Methods engineering Nutrient systems Operations management Operations research Overall Equipment Effectiveness

Plant layout study Quality assurance Reverse engineering Sales process engineering Statistical process control Supply Chain System dynamics Systems engineering Value engineering

External links

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} University of Waterloo, Management Engineering.
2. ^ University of Waterloo, What is Management Engineering, Management Engineering vs. Industrial Engineering.