Project management: an important engineering skill

The paper focuses on a very specific topic: management by project in engineering education. It is normal in modem engineering practices that professionals with an engineering degree manage different and, in many cases, very complicated projects. In these situations, everyday practice, or dealing by intuition, is not enough and it is necessary to have specialised knowledge, a multidisciplinary orientation and to use proper procedures. The paper shows a comparison of the main scope of each activity and the responsibility or requirements so far as the competence and skills of a modem project manager are concerned. The specifications acknowledge that persons with an engineering degree are, at least to some extent, competent to act as project managers. It is obligatory for an engineer to complete knowledge of issues that appear in the process of managing a project for it to be effective. The paper presents a schematic scope of the knowledge and skills of a modem project manager-engineer and, in particular, presents key subjects in educational programmes. There is a short discussion with regard to what level of engineering education indicates completion of typical engineering knowledge. A continuing education course in project management is proposed.