DEVELOPING AN ENGINEERING COMPETENCE FOR SERVICES: A FRAMEWORK FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TO SUPPORT EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

摘要

Due to the popularity of programs like six sigma, many in service industries continue to recognize a need to develop an in house engineering function for process design and improvement. The challenges facing leaders building and managing these groups often include a lack of customer understanding of the value of engineering and a lack of formal engineering education for those hired into engineering roles. A structured approach and tools are needed to address these problems. Following the launch of a new engineering team within a large financial services firm, an approach was developed to address these problems. The outcomes included development of a simple tool that assisted in managing the ongoing evolution of engineering services, assessment of the organization's current ability to successfully deliver those services and developed roadmaps for the future development of both the team and individual employees. The tool was deployed in the organization and results continue to be collected.