Showing items 1 - 12 of 12

Your selections:

A case study of positioning and support of an engineering product in an industrial environment

  • Authors: Booysen, Ivan Dawid
  • Date: 2010-11-23T05:53:52Z
  • Subjects: New products evaluation , Product management , Engineering management
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7031 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3537
  • Description: M.Ing. , Change is an every day occurrence in any environment, especially in the technology market, where technology doubles approximately every 10 years [1]. Therefore it is of utmost importance that this change should be managed for any organization to maintain its respective market position. For most industrial products that are introduced into the market it is essential for those products to be able to change to fit the expected technical changes that will transpire. These changes take place because of the demand those consumers that use the technology place on the market. Thus the value of customer service is irrefutable, and it should be addressed accordingly. In the development phase it is thus important to design the product with future change in mind to cope with the demands that consumers place on one's product. Placement of a control system in the industrial market should be done ingeniously to be able to stay in the specified market and cope with change. The Delta V, an advanced control system, is one such product that is positioned in the market in an intelligent manner [21]. To be able to do the right positioning one needs expert engineering management skills to be able to remain in the market and not sta~ate in this constantly changing technical environment. Engineering management should take a holistic interest in the global markets since most technical products are active in these global markets. Support is seen as a global competitive aspect of a product's success or failure. Management skills in this market place are thus one of the strongest advantages an engineering organization can have which in return can prove a significant difference in the organizations survival. Thus securing the edge that any organization wants and strives for to be one step in front of its competitors. As such the purpose of this research is then to present aspects of positioning and support of an engineering product via a case study in an integrated fashion.
  • Full Text:

A holistic management model for the transformation of high technology engineering companies for sustained value creation and global competitiveness

  • Authors: Winzker, Dietmar Hans
  • Date: 2009-02-27T06:04:37Z
  • Subjects: High technology management , Engineering management , Technological innovations
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:8190 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2194
  • Description: D. Ing. , The key objective of this thesis is clearly stated in its comprehensive title. In today’s fast moving, turbulent and highly competitive world, high tech companies and engineering-based organizations struggle possibly more than other businesses with the seemingly irrational, analogical events when most people in such organizations are rational, highly analytical persons. Value creation is one of the key objectives of modern high tech companies. Hence, the achievement of this ideal within the constraints and consideration of a myriad of factors requires a different approach and implies an ongoing transformation process which is not always based on rational aspects alone. If such a transformation is to be sustainable and takes place in a globally competitive framework, the approach has to be holistic and it has to consider many additional factors which tend to be considered as soft in the analytical world of high tech. The thesis formulates a management and leadership model which includes both the soft and hard factors in a comprehensive and collaborative manner. The model lends itself to understand and judiciously manipulate the dynamics of the high tech global business environment for sustained competitive advantage. The model recognizes and enables the manager and leader to address the many issues confronting them daily by giving a new strategic perspective with the help of sub-models. These sub-models form the anchors whereby a complex situation can be managed reasonably, effectively and hopefully wisely too. The suggested model is to a large degree independent of time and industry-space and is considered valid for a long time to come. Although aimed at providing a guideline at executive level of management in the high tech environment the suggested model is by no means limited to engineering nor is it limited to high tech companies. The framework and model anchors developed, are equally valid in other complexity-prone industries as can be confirmed by the author’s wide international practical experience in a number of industries, from Banking, Service provides, Health Systems, e-commerce, Petro-Chemical and others.
  • Full Text:

An assessment of the maturity and implementation of assurance frameworks on building construction projects within construction companies in South Africa

  • Authors: Govender, Trevor Desigan
  • Date: 2013-05-27
  • Subjects: Project management , Engineering management , Construction projects - Management , Construction industry - Quality control
  • Type: Mini-Dissertation
  • Identifier: uj:7547 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8405
  • Description: M.Ing. (Engineering Management) , In the wake of the recent global financial crisis, the engineering and building construction industry has been faced with great uncertainty. Emerging from the crisis, investors are taking a cautious approach to how, with, and through whom they invest money. Organisation’s shareholders and stakeholders are therefore seeking new ways to run their businesses looking at cost optimisation and enhanced performance to increase their profitability. Companies are moving towards ensuring tighter control through stronger governance, closer risk management and compliance to statutory and regulatory requirements. To achieve this, assurance frameworks are being used to test, monitor and report to senior management on the organisation’s status. This dissertation highlights the importance of governance, risk and compliance control mechanisms specifically in the building construction sector within construction companies in South Africa. It will assess the maturity of such assurance frameworks and its implementation on building construction projects undertaken by large construction companies. These practices will be compared to the assurance frameworks as recommended and implemented by international leading practice. The dissertation will review the impacts that effective and weak assurance practices have on an organisation’s projects, their businesses and their statutory liability. To understand this, the research conducted interviews, surveys and case studies on large Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed construction companies in South Africa. The data was analysed: quantitatively, qualitatively, statistically as well as trended conclusions are made. The dissertation ends by pointing to the advantages of proper assurance controls on building construction projects and presents a template of an assurance framework that may be developed by construction companies into assurance programmes and other tools for use in their environment.
  • Full Text:

An engineering management framework for information technology projects in South Africa

  • Authors: Malan, Andre
  • Date: 2008-06-19T10:01:48Z
  • Subjects: Engineering management , Information technology , Project management
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:2974 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/639
  • Description: Globally, the art and the science of project management (PM) have contributed in no small measure to the advances in the delivery of Information Technology (IT) based solutions. In South Africa, it has been shown that IT projects are currently, generally performed in a basic, but rapidly maturing, project management environment. In order for the organization (or project environment) to mature, certain processes must first be institutionalised. These processes are identifiable by inspection of the standards that relate to PM in general (and to IT PM in particular) and by excluding the activities that relate to specific technologies and products. The remaining processes should therefore be applied to most (if not all) IT projects in SA most (if not all) of the time. These processes were identified and used to iteratively create a Project Management Framework that assists its target market in the following ways: • Simplify and facilitate project managers' access to a common set of PM processes and tools; • Promote the usage of best practices for PM for all projects, both simple and complex; • Increase the level of assured competence project managers bring to PM endeavours; • Establish a commonality of process and standardization of terminology within PM; and • Provide a common method of project progress tracking across the enterprise. The baseline version of this Framework is presented as a web tool, based on a body of research consisting of (1) the PMBOK® Guide processes, (2) some CMMISM process areas and (3) other authoritative, non-conflicting resources. The PMBOK® Guide is tailored for a sector, time and place, resulting in a unique approach to project management. This approach aims to benefit a community and open a new focus area for research within the profession. The target market for this product are those enterprises that are seeing the need for the benefits outlined above or who realise that the first step towards process improvement is a focus on project management. These range from organizations now commencing on the project management path to those who consider “management by projects” to be a strategic option for the organizational design of the company. The case study sites where the product has been implemented include banking / retail operation, a large mining company and a financial services consultancy. , Prof. L. Pretorius Prof. J.H.C. Pretorius
  • Full Text:

An engineering management view of the impact of the procurement cycle on the project schedule of an outsourced PMO in a matrix-style organisation

  • Authors: Van Jaarsveldt, Marius
  • Date: 2013-05-27
  • Subjects: Engineering management , Project management , Outsourcing , Industrial procurement , Materials management
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7545 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8403
  • Description: M.Ing. (Engineering Management) , Projects are often outsourced to an external project management office that has to adapt and operate in a matrix style organisational structure. This project management office is then forced to follow the project management framework enforced by their clients, especially if these clients operate on a global, multinational business level. In such cases it is common practice that the project management office also has to follow a strict procurement approval process to ensure controlled project capital governance, which often results in project baseline schedule delays. The source of these project schedule delays may even cause conflict between the project management office, the respective project manager and their common clients. As part of the current research, various procurement transactions within such a project environment were tracked as a case study to validate the approval efficiency of all approval authorities within the procurement process itself. The duration for transaction approvals were tracked in order to compare it with existing service level agreements between the relevant stakeholders. The results obtained from the above study indicate that the actual procurement approval duration is misaligned with the theoretical and expected procurement approval duration, confirming that existing service level agreements should be aligned with more realistic deliverable expectations. The current research confirms that the organisational structure of this particular matrix style project environment and the way in which the procurement process is governed for transaction approval, have a direct negative impact on project deliverables; especially on the baseline schedule. The current research also confirms that the client organisation should be sensitive in how they structure their project organisational environment as over-governance of the procurement process can often result in unexpected schedule delays. This over-governance of the procurement process exposes various inefficiencies in the overall process, without necessarily enhancing overall project governance. The current research shows that restructuring of the procurement approval process could reduce the procurement approval duration, and present a more realistic service level agreement between the project stakeholders. This will allow the project manager to more accurately define his baseline project schedule and align all stakeholders’ project schedule expectations.
  • Full Text:

An evolutionary systems approach to construction engineering in Mozambique

  • Authors: Ruas, Joao Manuel da Silva
  • Date: 2008-06-27T09:29:18Z
  • Subjects: Engineering management , Construction industry management , Mozambique
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:10019 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/740
  • Description: Mozambique was a Portuguese province governed in terms of Portuguese legislation and principles. After the Mozambican independence in June 1975, and during the decade thereafter, all Portuguese legislation were re-evaluated and replaced by new legislation based on socialist/communist philosophies, ultimately culminating in a centralised economy, which was governed according to Marxism/Leninism principles. In terms of this maxim, the primary objectives was to favour and protect state owned companies, resulting in the nationalisation of almost all of the private sector, thus eradicating competitiveness among the economic operators, and leaving the country to become one of the poorest in the world. The implemented political philosophy and associated economic principles furthermore impacted so adversely on the economy that critical changes were required to save the economy from collapse. New economic and political reforms and directives were introduced, moving the country from a socialist orientation to an open economy, a process that was implemented with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. This process was highly complex and arduous, culminating in more often than not, failed implementations in the various sectors of the economy. One such sector, the Construction Engineering Industry is faced with collapse as a result of the complexities of the transition process. Against this background, ‘corrective’ economic legislation aimed to restructure the economy, was designed and implemented, only to result in high taxes and duties being paid by private companies. The present decline in foreign direct investment in the Construction Engineering Industry due to the current social and political uncertainty is of particular concern. More specific, the high interest bank rates on loans, the high duty rates for construction materials to be imported, the current judicial system which is viewed as ineffective in solving complex problems involving the industry, unfair labour laws which protect unproductive workers, and the high levels of bureaucracy, are all factors impacting adversely on any management effort to ensure the sustainability and growth of the Construction Engineering Industry in Mozambique. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) was constituted with the aim of creating an integrated and harmonious development strategy for each of its member countries, due to the fact that each country has its own culture, political dispensation, judicial system, labour laws and economic and fiscal structures. As the Construction Engineering Industries within each SADC country, by implication are subjected to differentiated operating environments and unique complexities, the solution as proposed by the SADC has the potential to culminate in a feasible option for the industry as a whole. For the Construction Engineering Industry of Mozambique however, the proposed solution of the SADC would not serve as a viable or feasible solution. This is due to the fact that the Construction Engineering Industry in Mozambique is not stable and close to collapse as a result of the plethora of inhibiting factors adversely impacting the industry. Against this background the research problem for this thesis reads as follow: “The Construction Engineering Industry in Mozambique is operating within the context of an unstructured complex management paradigm, calling for an evolutionary solution to mitigate the complexities and ensure sustainability and growth” The primary objective of this thesis is to establish to what extent an evolutionary systems approach model could facilitate paradigmatic change in the management of construction engineering in Mozambique to ensure its sustainability and growth. This objective will be met through:  An in depth analysis of the complex phenomena pertaining to the construction engineering industry in Mozambique deploying the enquiry capabilities of the Biomatrix Systems Approach.  Benchmarking the operating environments of the Construction Engineering Industries of South Africa and Mozambique.  The formulation of an evolutionary, unique viable approach so structured to address the complexity associated with construction engineering in Mozambique. This evolutionary approach will be fundamentally based on the Systems Approach and associated Viable Systems Model, juxtaposed with this authors’ own contribution, to ultimately facilitate paradigmatic change in the Mozambican Construction Engineering Industry to mitigate the research problem set for this thesis. , Prof. Dr. L. Pretorius Prof. Dr. J.A. Watkins
  • Full Text:

Engineering management: the system-wide optimization of organizations

  • Authors: Paddy, Ricardo J.
  • Date: 2010-03-25T06:45:00Z
  • Subjects: Engineering management , System theory , Organization , Management
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:6702 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3104
  • Description: M.Ing. , Broadly speaking, the world in which we live exhibits complex interactions of multivariate and multidimensional parameters that are implemented by organizations in a global organizational space. Within this space exists numerous organizations in various disciplines and with various objectives, save the common objective of survival. These organizations compete in the environment created by this space, consuming energy, labour and raw materials from the environment and producing energy, finished products and waste back into the environment. The optimization of the operation, structure and existence of each organization in organizational space allows for a structured approach to symbiotic survival and the common achievement of a multitude of organizational objectives; providing for the avoidance of the depletion or extinction of resources, materials and energies within the space. If the world as we know it holds organizational space as one of its facets, then the global system is at the mercy of the operations of each organization, amongst others. The world then contains the embodiment of each system in some or other dimension. It allows for the training of the mind of the set of human systems to seek out that which allows for the progression of the common interest of the global system and thus the survival of each system it contains, ultimately leading to its own survival. Engineering management allows for the formalization of a relationship between two disciplines that can greatly impact the operation of the global system. It is not true that this is the most important of all disciplines; but what can be said to be true is that successful completion of the objectives of each discipline allows for the achievement of the overall system objectives. Together with all other disciplines, engineering management calls for both the consideration of organizational space as a whole and the consideration of each organization within the space. The consideration of all organizations as an open, selfcontained system allows for the satisfaction of the latter consideration by finding the solution to the question: “If I was a system, how would I want to be controlled and optimized?” An organizational system contains a set of components, inputs, energies, processes and outputs in one or other formation. Probably one of the most important elements of the component set is the set of human beings – a component which exhibits nonlinear and time variant response characteristics. The successful modeling and optimization of a system as a whole requires the modeling of each component and process, and that which poses the greatest difficulty is the human, perhaps because the one responsible for the modeling is itself a component of the same set. Viewed in light of the greater system, the author is simply a member of the component set of an academic organization interacting within the global organizational space, and this is the accumulation of the research that I respectfully present.
  • Full Text:

Evaluating systems engineering capability of the systems and automation department in a transportation infrastructure organization

  • Authors: Dlamini, Asanda
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Transport and logics industry - South Africa , Technological innovations - Management , Engineering management , Manufacturing processes - South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/280220 , uj:30107
  • Description: M.Ing. (Engineering Management) , Abstract: The transport and logistics industry is identified as an important component of the South African economy contributing 12.7 % to the GDP. Transnet with the largest market share and thus a key member of the industry is increasing its infrastructure in anticipation of greater demand. The organization is investing billions of rands by undertaking infrastructure projects through its specialist division, Transnet Group Capital (TGC). The purpose of the study is to evaluate the use of systems engineering in the organization by assessing the capability of its developmental processes, and to compare the model used by the organization with SEMBASE model.The study uses qualitative research methods, data from interviews conducted is analysed by identifying patterns from SE theory. Findings indicate that the department does use systems engineering, but its capability levels need great improvements. These finding show that the company needs to review and continuously develop its departmental processes. The main recommendation emerging from the study is that the department review their developmental model. This would involve a selection of the critical processes and improvement of their capability levels, and thereafter institutionalising the processes using clear and specific goals.
  • Full Text:

Evaluation of small and medium-sized enterprises' performance in the built environment

  • Authors: Ladzani, Mmboswobeni Watson
  • Date: 2010-08-04T07:17:26Z
  • Subjects: Construction industry , Civil engineering research , Engineering management
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:6898 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3372
  • Description: D.Phil. , South Africa’s SMMEs are characterised by, among other challenges, poor management, poor entrepreneurial performance and low global competitiveness. The Global Entrepreneurial Monitor (GEM) reported that South Africa ranks low in terms of global competitiveness. This study evaluated the management performance of small, micro- and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) in the South African building construction industry, the third largest employer in South Africa. The main research aim was to find the reasons for the poor management performance of the building construction industry SMMEs and to make recommendations to improve the management performance of these SMMEs. International management performance models were analysed to select an appropriate model to evaluate the respondents’ management performance. The South African Excellence Model (SAEM) was deemed the most appropriate and was selected and used as research instrument. The researcher selected an evaluative, comparative design for the study. A two-part questionnaire was used for data collection. “Part 1” questionnaire profiled the sampled SMMEs to identify independent variables that influenced their management performance. The self-assessment performance measurement questionnaire (“Part 2” questionnaire) evaluated their management performance. The results of the study were twofold. Firstly, the mean-ranking results that ranked the eleven management performance criteria were tested for equality. Management performance criteria that showed low mean ranks were reasons for the respondents’ poor management performance. Secondly, independence tests identified the factors that influenced the SMMEs’ management performance. The greatest deficiency in terms of management performance was lack of social responsibility amongst SMMEs. The second largest deficiency occurred at business processes, followed by the planning and strategy, people management, and people satisfaction criteria. The most sufficient criterion was customer satisfaction, followed by leadership, customer and market focus, resources and information management and lastly supplier and partnership performance criteria. Hypothesised reasons for the respondents’ poor management performance were tested statistically. Of the five independent variables tested to determine whether they significantly improved the respondents’ management performance, education and technical skills training significantly improved the management performance. Age, gender and race of owner-managers, however, did not. The study recommends strengthening the SACEM by introducing financial management criteria and benchmarking SMMEs’ management performance with industry and world-class best practice. The study found that management performance criteria that showed low scores (social responsibility, business processes, and planning and strategy) require urgent intervention.
  • Full Text:

Management skills for engineers & technologists : industry perceptions and implications for management of engineering systems

  • Authors: Malene, Patrick
  • Date: 2013-05-28
  • Subjects: Engineering management
  • Type: Mini-Dissertation
  • Identifier: uj:7563 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8425
  • Description: M.Phil. (Engineering Management) , Today’s technical challenges are seldom solved by an individual. A team of people usually get involved when new products, processes, organizational structures or technologies are developed, tested and subsequently maintained. Such teams comprise of engineers, technologists and project managers and their roles being to direct others, control, plan, administer and manage these technologies. Engineering managers have become the pillars of most organizations, which are using sophisticated equipment to produce high-technology products. The ability of companies to generate new business has become increasingly dependent on technical knowledge. Implicitly, people with both technical knowledge and managerial skills with the capability to think strategically about the technology and business goals are required. There are several reasons why engineers and technologists should be effective in the general management of technical orientated business. In such organizations, efficient planning is required to ensure that the organizational objectives are met. The other reason for the engineers and technologists to have management skills is that, they are typically people who employ technical personnel. Therefore they need to understand and follow the human resource management process, for them to effectively evaluate these candidates. Other than that, engineers play a role in financial decision making for their organizations, marketing and other nonengineering departments. Engineers and Technologists at all levels must be adept in business realities, developing large scale engineering systems, and working with other people. These factors depict the reality of contemporary organizations, thus the management training of these technical people will ensure effectiveness in their leadership style. This mini dissertation will emphasize the need to equip technical people with management..Further, it will briefly discuss the management functions that engineers and technologist assume at different organizations.
  • Full Text:

Master’s of engineering management : graduation rates lagging behind growth rate

Visualisation as a communication tool in project management

  • Authors: Masoka, Nceba
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Project management , Visualization , Engineering management
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/481908 , uj:43681
  • Description: Abstract: Information visualisation can be loosely defined as the mapping of distinct data with the incorporation of visual representation. Technological advancements have evolved visualisation to include characteristics that are computer-aided, making visualisations more interactive. Project visualisation tools such as Gantt charts and Pareto diagrams (for priority tracking) improve the visualisation of project mechanics, timelines, tasks, and to highlight essential sets of factors or project variables. This research seeks to investigate the challenges experienced by projects that do not use visualisation. The study will further establish how visualisation influences project delivery. Literature has documented numerous challenges faced by project teams that do not use visualisation and has noted that the various influences of visualisation on project delivery are solutions to the noted challenges. Data collection was conducted through an online questionnaire that was distributed to project practitioners in the researcher's network. The results indicate that the surveyed practitioners do not experience the challenges noted in the reviewed literature and are aware of the benefits of visualisation in project management. It was established that visualisation is used in a manner that is described in the reviewed literature. From this, it is deduced that project practitioners that use visualisation do not experience challenges highlighted in the reviewed literature. The value of this research is in its offering of solutions to challenges experienced by project practitioners with visualisation, and to illuminate the benefits of using visualisation in project teams. , M.Phil. (Engineering Management)
  • Full Text:
  • 1
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Contact