Engineering Partners on New Technology Management Program By Marlys Amundson Engineers are often asked to do more than solve isolated problems, and to succeed in their careers they need an awareness of systems management and other business practices. An understanding of how one part of a project fits into the whole and how a change to a single portion of a system affects the entire network is critical to management of large, complex projects. The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science is helping meet the need for well rounded engineers through a recently implemented a pilot program with the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management. The program offers students an opportunity to receive a certificate in technology/ program management. One of the core courses in the new program is the School of Engineering’s Program Management Principles for Engineers and Professionals, now in its third year. The course, and the others in the program, are unique in that they are not focused on entrepreneurship,” said adjunct professor Les Lackman. “The vast majority of engineering graduates go to work for large companies, and these classes will give them the business skills to succeed within them.” The pilot program will admit 10 students who are taking courses in the School and at Anderson. Other classes offered as part of the program include systems engineering, subcontracting management, corporate accounting practices, and manufacturing planning. “We’re providing our students with the basic skills to manage a technology program,” noted Lackman. “The goal is to produce professionals who have the right tools to make the right decisions, enabling them to run on-time programs that remain at or under budget, and meet all of the project’s specifications.” Lackman, who was a vice president at the Boeing Company when he retired from industry, brings nearly 30 years of management experience to the course. Students enrolled in Lackman’s course gain the critical program management skills necessary to move from engineering to program management in their careers. There are both individual and team assignments, including team presentations, business plan development, and the associated experience in how to sell a plan to management. Lori Chow, a second-year graduate student in the Interdepartmental Biomedical Engineering program, is part of the pilot program. She hopes to work in product development at a medical device company, and took the Program Management course last spring. “I am interested in transitioning into management when I’m farther along in my career, and the class gave me a good feel for what I can expect when I have the chance to manage a program,” noted Chow. “The perspective was very valuable. We had the chance to work on a lot of case studies and other real-life scenarios.” The curriculum covers all elements of program management from planning and schedules to budgets to associated earned value to team studies in reducing product cycle time via statistical process analysis and six sigma. The course also includes systems engineering and risk management. By providing UCLA engineering graduates with basic business skills, the program gives them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. “It’s a win-win situation - the School, our students, and industry all benefit,” said Lackman.