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Project management requires planning and structure to meet budgets and deadlines. This is particularly true in engineering, where a single mistake can derail the entire project.
For those in charge of engineering project management, standard tools aren’t enough. You need a smart way to streamline resources, monitor scope and progress, and predict potential obstacles before they happen.
That’s where engineer-focused project management platforms take center stage.
In this guide, we’ll share how to structure your project planning using tailored engineering project management tools that work across the industry. These tools help software, electrical, mechanical, and civil engineering managers set and meet goals.
Project management includes careful planning and communication of the project scope to a team of engineers. It involves identifying project goals and milestones, as well as developing multiple scenarios and contingency plans to ensure a successful outcome.
This process is crucial for any engineering team, as unexpected issues can arise and potentially derail the work of dozens or even hundreds of people.
In engineering, how well a project is managed can help a team make smart decisions that mitigate or plan for risk and optimize the (often limited) resources available.
Pre-planning in project management lets you deal with the challenges of tight deadlines and even tighter budgets. At the same time, your team juggles the tasks that combine creativity and innovation with the corporate world.
Specifically, project management helps you:
Without strong project management, even minor missteps can snowball.
A missed milestone delays the next phase. Project delays can lead to budget overruns. Communication breakdowns cause more work.
That’s why successful engineering firms treat project management as a core competency, not a “nice-to-have.”
What does project management include in engineering?
The answer to this begins with the right person for the job. Merging the complex needs of an engineer with the intricate details involved in project management takes a special kind of person; not everyone has the skills necessary to thrive in this demanding yet rewarding role.
In some businesses, this manager was once an engineer themselves, but that’s not always (and doesn’t have to be) the case. Regardless of the career paths involved, successful project workflows require decision-making and leadership abilities.
The terms "project manager" and "engineering manager" aren’t the same, yet the roles often overlap. Creating best practices for your engineering manager can easily slip into the responsibilities of a project manager, which can lead to conflict.
A project manager is responsible for ensuring that deadlines and budgets are met. This person determines when the final deliverable is “finished” and that it adheres to the pre-agreed-upon expectations. On the other hand, an engineering manager mentors engineers, trains and develops teams, and handles the tech side.
In short, project managers focus on the work, and engineering managers make sure the people doing the work have the skills and resources necessary to reach their goals.
The two jobs are interrelated, but they are not the same thing.
Expecting the engineering manager to know how to handle project management skills right away can be risky.
Project managers in any industry have similar roles across the board. Core competencies for this position, per the Project Management Institute (PMI), include skills like:
There are specific principles that exist in engineering that every engineering manager must stick to, such as:
Blend the two roles, and you have a new job title: engineering project manager (EPM).
Engineering project managers (EPMs) are the whole picture. They combine interpersonal know-how and business acumen with technical awareness.
While it isn’t necessary for them to be the top engineer, they need to speak the jargon and recognize the team’s comforts and constraints.
In engineering, this could look like:
The best engineering project managers know that an engineer's work is complex. They do what they can to create order and minimize disruptions so that engineers can do their jobs.
So, how do you integrate a platform that is both project- and people-focused?
Engineers and general project managers don’t always use the same methodologies. An EPM may prefer waterfall, predictive, Scrum, or Agile systems — or a combination of them.
See: How To Choose a Project Management Methodology
The specific approach isn’t as vital as having a platform that can handle the workload. Using old or obsolete tools that aren’t engineering-specific means running the risk of creating silos and missing obvious mistakes during the project.
Instead, look to platforms like Accelo that coordinate between project-focused work (deadlines, time tracking, budget, resource allocation) and engineering-specific needs.
For example, Accelo smoothes the workflow process of an engineering team with features such as:
Covering the scope of business requirements and engineering-specific needs with one project management software system is extremely valuable.
Accelo lets you blend communication and deliverable management with the unique needs of an engineer-focused, service-based business.
Learn More: Why Accelo?
When your project management game is on point, your profits are more accurate. You can monitor and reassign resources to adapt to capacity load changes, reduce costly delays, watch for scope creep, and use data to forecast outcomes and make decisions.
Mistakes aren’t the end of the world; they are opportunities for growth as you enhance your project planning initiatives in the future. It’s how you handle them to ensure they don’t happen again that matters. This accuracy and transparency build client satisfaction and foster trust, leading to better loyalty and retention.
Whether your business involves electrical, mechanical, or other engineering disciplines, your project management methodologies need to complement your work.
Accelo minimizes unnecessary repetition through automation and improved resource management, letting you focus on quality assurance and an on-time and on-budget project lifecycle.
Project management requirements in engineering bring the need for tools that can address complex, specialized knowledge. Engineering services include projects with increased risk and regulatory specifications, longer project timelines, higher technical complexity, and the use of cross-disciplinary teams to meet deliverables.
Because projects often have a long duration, engineering firms are particularly at risk of scope creep and budget constraints as costs overrun the initial timeframe. Another challenge is potential miscommunication among the multiple teams, clients, and stakeholders.
The strongest project management framework always begins with a deep dive into the processes. Define what each stage looks like, from initiation to deliverable. Predict and address challenges, such as scope creep and project risk management, and develop plans to handle them.
Choose the framework that best suits your team’s abilities and business goals — whether Agile, waterfall, hybrid, or something else — and integrate key practices to establish the culture you want your business and team to reflect.
