Discover essential Engineering Management terms in this comprehensive glossary. 

If you’re looking to advance your career in the engineering sector, understanding the language of Engineering Management is essential. As you move toward leadership and strategic roles, you’ll encounter new terms, concepts, and frameworks that are key to success.

This glossary is designed to help you build a strong foundation in Engineering Management vocabulary. By learning these terms early, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions in your work and confidently take on more complex responsibilities.

It will also help you get more out of educational content, such as an MSc in Engineering Management, by making concepts easier to grasp. As you grow your knowledge, you'll see how your engineering background can support a successful transition into management and leadership positions.

Engineering Management A-Z glossary 

A 

Agile: A flexible project management approach that focuses on collaboration, customer feedback, and iterative progress. 

Asset management: The systematic process of operating, maintaining, and upgrading physical assets cost-effectively. 

Artificial intelligence (AI): Technology that enables computers to perform tasks that would usually require human intelligence. Often used in engineering to enhance decision-making, automate systems and analyse data. 

B 

Benchmarking: Comparing business processes and performance metrics to those of industry leaders. The purpose of this can be to evaluate the organisation’s market positioning and identify areas for improvement. 

Bottleneck: A point of congestion in a system that slows or stops the flow of production or processes. 

Business continuity planning: The process of preparing for potential disruptions to ensure that essential operations continue during crises. 

C 

Capital valuation: Assessing the worth of assets or investments, often key in project decision-making. 

Change management: A structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organisations to a desired future state. 

Critical path method (CPM): A project management technique that identifies the longest stretch of dependent activities. 

Continuous improvement (Kaizen): A philosophy of ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes incrementally. 

D 

Demand management: The process of forecasting and influencing customer demand to balance supply chain capacity. The goal is to ensure that products are available when and where they’re needed. 

Design for manufacturing (DFM): An engineering practice that focuses on designing products that are easy and cost-effective to manufacture. 

Decision analysis: A systematic approach to evaluating decisions based on data and logic. 

E 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): A type of integrated software system that is used to manage business operations in real time. 

Engineering economics: Applying economic techniques and principles to evaluate engineering decisions and projects. 

Ethical leadership: A leadership and decision-making approach that prioritises ethical values like integrity, fairness, and accountability. 

F 

Feasibility study: A preliminary analysis to determine if a project is technically and financially viable. 

Forecasting: The practice of predicting future events, such as demand or production needs, using historical data. 

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA): A systematic approach to identifying potential failures and assessing the impact they’d have. 

G 

Gantt chart: A graphical tool for scheduling tasks and tracking project timelines. 

Governance: The system by which organisations are directed and controlled, including policies and procedures. 

Green manufacturing: Environmentally friendly production that minimises waste and pollution. 

H 

Hoshin Kanri: A strategic planning process that ensures company goals are communicated to and implemented by employees across all levels. 

Human factors engineering: An approach to designing systems and products that focuses on makes them comfortable and safe for people to use. By accounting for human comfort, wellbeing, and limitations, performance and efficiency can be optimised. 

Hybrid project management: A project management approach that combines traditional, Waterfall and Agile methodologies for optimal project execution. 

I 

Investment appraisal: The process of evaluating the profitability and viability of a potential investment. 

ISO standards: International standards that ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products and services. 

Innovation management: The process of managing new ideas, from concept to implementation. You can read more about fostering innovation and creativity in our blog post on the topic. 

J 

Just-In-Time (JIT): An inventory management strategy where materials arrive only when needed, reducing storage costs. 

Job design: Structuring tasks, responsibilities, and workflows to improve employee satisfaction and efficiency. 

Joint ventures: Strategic partnerships between companies to undertake a project or business activity. 

K 

Key performance indicators (KPIs): Metrics that reflect how effectively a company is achieving its objectives. 

Kanban: A visual scheduling system often used in lean and just-in-time production to improve workflow and reduce waste. 

Knowledge management: Recording, distributing, and effectively using knowledge within an organisation.  

L 

Lean thinking: A philosophy and methodology that seeks to create more value for customers with fewer resources. 

Lifecycle costing: Estimating the total cost that will be associated with a product, system or project over its entire lifespan. 

Logistics: The coordination of transportation, warehousing, and inventory to ensure smooth supply chain operations. 

M 

Motivation theory: Studies, theories and frameworks for understanding what drives people to achieve goals at work. 

Manufacturing execution system (MES): Software that monitors, documents and controls the entire manufacturing process. 

Matrix organisation: A structure where employees report to both functional and project managers. 

N 

Net present value (NPV): A financial metric that measures how profitable an investment or project is. It works by adding up the value of all the money it will make in the future, adjusted to today’s value. This way, people can decide if something is worth investing in by showing if the future gains are greater than the cost now. 

Non-destructive testing (NDT): A group of techniques for evaluating materials or components without causing damage to them. 

Negotiation: The process of reaching mutually beneficial agreements, crucial in contracts and stakeholder management. 

O 

Organisational culture: The shared beliefs and practices that influence how people behave in an organisation. 

Operational excellence: The continuous pursuit of improvements in performance, productivity, and profitability. 

Outsourcing: Contracting external suppliers or service providers for tasks that would usually be carried out in-house. 

P 

PRINCE2: A structured project management methodology that focuses on control, flexibility, and defined roles. 

Procurement: The process of acquiring goods, services, or works from external sources. 

Predictive maintenance: A proactive maintenance approach that involves using data and analytics to anticipate and fix equipment failures before they happen. 

Q 

Quality assurance (QA): A process-focused approach to ensure that products or services meet specified requirements. 

Quality control (QC): A product-focused activity that identifies defects in finished products. 

Quantitative risk analysis: Using numerical methods to estimate risk impact and likelihood.

R 

Risk management: The process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks that could impact a project or business. 

Root cause analysis (RCA): A problem-solving method that aims to identify the primary cause of a fault or problem. 

Resource allocation: The process of distributing resources efficiently to meet strategic objectives. 

S 

Six sigma: A set of techniques and methodologies that aims to reduce defects and variability in processes. This is often achieved using statistical analysis. 

Supply chain management (SCM): Overseeing the flow of goods, data, and finances from supplier to customer. 

Stakeholder analysis: Identifying and evaluating the interests of parties affected by a project. 

T 

Total quality management (TQM): A comprehensive approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction. 

Theory of constraints (TOC): A method to identify the most limiting factors in a process and improve them. 

Technology roadmapping: A strategic plan that outlines an organisation’s timeline for adopting, developing or releasing new technologies and solutions. 

U 

Upstream activities: In engineering, these are tasks related to sourcing and supplier relationships in a supply chain. 

User-centred design (UCD): The concept of designing systems with the needs, preferences, and limitations of end-users in mind. 

Utilisation rate: A metric that measures the efficiency of equipment, resources, or labour. 

V 

Value stream mapping (VSM): A Lean management tool for visualising and analysing the steps in a production process. 

Vendor management: The discipline of managing supplier relationships and performance. 

Vertical integration: Controlling more stages of the supply chain to reduce dependency and improve efficiency. 

W 

Work breakdown structure (WBS): The process of dismantling a project into smaller, more manageable parts. 

Workflow automation: The adoption and use of software to automate repetitive business processes. 

Waste elimination: A Lean principle focused on removing non-value-added activities. 

X 

Design of experiments (DoE): Also known as experimental design. A method used to plan experiments so that the effects of different conditions on a process or outcome can be measured and understood. It helps identify and explain variation by carefully controlling or selecting the conditions under which data is collected. 

XML (eXtensible Markup Language): A data format often used for data exchange in enterprise systems. 

Y 

Yield: The output or productivity of a system, often expressed as a percentage of expected output. 

Year-end review: A formal assessment of employee or project performance over a fiscal year. 

Z 

Zero defects: A quality control philosophy aiming for perfect product performance. 

Zero inventory: The practice of reducing inventory to the absolute minimum to improve efficiency and reduce costs. 

How an MSc in Engineering Management can help you put these terms into action 

The Hull Online MSc in Engineering Management doesn’t just introduce you to these terms. It gives you the tools, knowledge and skills to apply them. You’ll also develop the commercial acumen, strategic insight, and leadership capabilities needed to thrive in senior roles. To find out more about the top skills you’ll develop on our course, check out our blog post here. 

You’ll explore: 

• Lean and Agile methodologies to improve process efficiency and eliminate waste. 

• Financial frameworks and project appraisal techniques to make data-driven decisions. 

• Human and organisational dynamics to lead teams effectively and manage change. 

• Supply chain strategies that enhance competitiveness and customer satisfaction. 
• Real-world projects that let you apply theory directly to your workplace challenges.
   

Our course is also accredited by the Chartered Management Institution (CMI), so you won’t just get a degree. You'll also gain a Level 7 qualification in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice, recognised by employers worldwide. For more information about why you should opt for a CMI-accredited course like ours, head to our blog post on the topic. 

Ready to learn more? Explore how our MSc in Engineering Management could help you join the next generation of engineering experts: