Yesterday, Today and Future of the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge

Young engineers are often promoted to leadership roles such as a team leader or a manager within 3 to 6 years of graduating from an undergraduate degree in a technical area. To be competent and successful in their leadership role engineers need to update their engineering management knowledge and learn new skills. The purpose of engineering management body of knowledge (EMBOK) is to delineate the knowledge, skills, and competency areas that are applicable to the engineering management discipline. It basically answers the question, "What does it take to be an effective engineering manager?" The EMBOK is based on a validated study and can be used for curriculum development, certification exams, and professional development programs. This paper describes the 11 domains that are included in the EMBOK and discuss the future publication of the EMBOK Guide. American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) offers two certification exams based on the EMBOK, Associate Engineering Manager (AEM) and Professional Engineering Manager (PEM). These certification exams can help an individual in the engineering management profession to show that they have kept up in the field and possess the necessary skills and competency to practice in the discipline. A detailed description of this certification program is included in this paper. The future of EMBOK and the certification program is also discussed.