A new manager case
Assume the role of a newly hired engineering manager for a company called VALID: They have brought you in to diagnose and fix the problems plaguing an important project.The development of safer, thermally stable lithium-ion batteries.
Using the VALID case study, assess the root cause issues and identify possible strategies to present to the executive leadership team. The main areas of dysfunction include methodological or handoff
failures between the different teams, interpersonal and communication breakdowns across the technical divide, and potential ethical dilemmas in balancing engineering integrity with business needs. You must apply the knowledge gained throughout this course to develop a new manager case report aimed at transforming the project into a well-functioning system.
The case study materials you will need for this project can be found in the VALID case study ZIP folder.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Examine fundamental engineering design methodologies and their implications for effectively organizing highly specialized resources and personnel
within engineering projects
Illustrate the distinct mindset common to engineers by identifying motivations, dispositions, and assumptions that impact work performance
Translate information critical to the success of engineering projects by applying appropriate technical and nontechnical terminology
Evaluate codes of ethics regulating the various engineering disciplines for their implications for appropriate engineering management
Analyze engineering projects as complex systems that require strategic management for successfully executing project plans
Prompt
What are the root cause issues in the project, and how can they best be addressed to transform the project into a well-functioning system?
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction
A. Establish a context for your report by summarizing the important details of the case and identifying the purpose of this report for your audience
(i.e., your executive leadership).
B. Explain the underlying engineering management principles that guided your inquiry. Remember that your audience may have a different
philosophy, so be sure to clearly articulate your understanding of engineering projects as complex systems and explain why this analogy is
useful.
II. Project Methodology
A. Assess the extent to which the project suffers from methodological dysfunctions. To what extent has methodology been logically and
consistently applied through each of the stages of development? Defend your position with specific evidence.
B. Specifically identify examples of handshake issues in which the silos between working groups prevented effective transitions from one design
step to the next.
C. Evaluate the current use of the project’s resources and personnel. Are all team members working in appropriate roles related to their specific
expertise? Could the team’s resources be more strategically allocated? Defend your position with specific evidence.
III. Project Team
A. Characterize the mindset of the engineers on the project team. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Defend your position with specific
evidence.
B. Specifically describe the motivations, dispositions, and assumptions of the engineers working on the project team. How are they distinct from
those of the nontechnical members of the project team? Illustrate with specific examples.
C. Assess the extent to which the distinct mindset of the engineers impacts their work performance. In what ways are the engineers not thinking or
acting strategically? To what extent are they failing to maintain a holistic view of the entire project? Illustrate with specific examples.
D. Communication
i. Characterize the overall effectiveness of internal and external project team communications. Where have there been successes and
failures? What have been the impacts of each?