Warren Harris – 50904805 Engineering Management 4023/5023

April 10, 2023

Assignment 3: What is Strategic Planning and Management with an introduction to industrial material
handling.

Strategic planning is the process to establish, implement, correct and continuously improve a corporate
strategic plan. Strategic management is the tools and techniques utilized to implement strategy and the
efforts needed to quickly respond to special events that occur before the formal planning process
recycles. (EMBOK)

It follows that strategic planning uses high level planning tools such as Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats
and Opportunities (SWOT) analysis, the 5 Forces, and Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customer
(SIPOC) analysis to help set a mission and vision for the company. The EM must thoroughly understand
the customer requirements, and analyze the market needs and potential opportunities and threats. The
supply chain must be extensively analyzed, with long range contracts planned to ensure firm supply.

When implementing the plan, the Engineering Manager (EM) uses strategic management tools. The EM
must first communicate the vision and mission to all shareholders, and especially staff members to
ensure buy in of the plan. One could argue that gaining acceptance and buy in of the mission and vision
is one of the most important strategic management goals, as the enterprise will surely fail if there is
dissension and disagreement on the goals of the company. Using strategic change management tools
will help ensure buy in by using leadership, holding open and frank discussions, allowing others to be
heard and valuing their opinions, and constantly reinforcing the goals, mission and vision.

The EM must help design and build the processes and procedures to create the product. Consideration
must be carefully given to industrial material handling, especially if the end product is heavy or difficult
to move. Thought must be given to raw material deliveries, inventory storage, and moving material and
inventory to assembly points. Trucks or trains will need to deliver material and take finished product
offsite. Forklifts, conveyors or cranes will be required to move materials between areas. Consideration
must be given to ensure the materials flow smoothly from one area to the other, with raw materials
going through further processes and assemblies to become the end product. The end product may then
need to be stored properly until shipping to the customer can occur. Shipping bays for receipt of
material and outgoing shipments are required, ensuring the two can occur smoothly with little
interference. Lighting, heating and cooling, power, possibly steam or various gases, and air supplies
must all be in the areas where it is required, and in the correct amounts. All of these issues must be
carefully planned before construction, as it will be costly and difficult to change once production starts.

The EM must also establish measurement systems to ensure quality assurance and control and make
adjustments to the process to continuously improve and drive out waste while reducing cost. Checklists
and scorecards can help monitor performance of the enterprise and guide managers in making changes
to the process. If careful planning and thorough consideration is given to all the above, the enterprise
may have a chance of success. Failure to take these issues in hand while planning will make the chances
of success much lower.

References:
Shah, H; Nowocin, W. A guide to the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge, 5th ed, 2019