The Advanced Work Packaging Institute (AWPI), is a U.S. based non-profit research and educational organization, for the application of Advanced Work Packaging for the capital projects industry.

  • Facebook - White Circle
  • Twitter - White Circle
  • Google+ - White Circle
  • LinkedIn - White Circle

© 2014 - 2020 The Advanced Work Packaging Institute™ All rights reserved

268 Bush St #2926, San Francisco, CA 94104

info@workpackaging.org 

Sign up for free AWP insights

  • Welcome

  • Get Certified

  • Resources

  • Knowledge

  • Webinar

  • Register

  • About

  • More

    • Facebook - White Circle
    • Twitter Classic
    • Google+ - White Circle
    • LinkedIn Social Icon

    Advanced Work Packaging

    Open Knowledge Base

    How are engineering projects structured?

    The way projects within engineering firms are structured is typically correlated to the engineering firm organization itself (Smith 2008, 221).
    One can distinguish through the literature the following organizational structure types/strategies:

    Generic organization designs:

    There are two main generic engineering organizational structures: a structure based on discipline groupings and individual expertise known as a functional multidisciplinary structure and a structure focusing on projects and nature of works known as divisional structure. A functional multidisciplinary structure for engineering firms is a structure that derives its origin from the principle of grouping specialists under one entity. This leads to departments with specific sets of expertise that will tend to "build on specialist skills and dominate the organization through those functions" (Smith 2008). A divisional structure for engineering firms is in a way a response to what has been challenging with the previous structure: the lack of communication between departments. This structure focuses on the "specialist nature of the work or project rather than individual expertise" (Smith 2008).

    The following table (adapted from Smith, 2008) compares the two structures in terms of benefits and challenges:

    Exhibit 1: Engineering firms organizational types comparison (Adapted from Smith, 2008)

    Other structures:

    Engineering firms can also organize their work and package their activities using other more sophisticated approaches. In fact, the project itself can serve as a temporary organization within the parent organization (Turner and Muller 2003). The advantage of such a structure is its ability to follow the continuous change that a project can see through its lifecycle. However, flexibility can be challenging unless a very qualified engineering project manager is assigned to the project (Hermone 1998). Other structures include networks (Tekeuchi and Nonaka 1995), virtual organizations (Reyck, et al. 2005) and matrix-based structures (Hermone 1998).

    #engineering #constructionEngineering

    Featured Posts
    Alignment: Construction Driven Planning and Work Packaging

    Alignment: Construction Driven Planning and Work Packaging

    Advanced Work Packaging: Past, Present, and Future

    Advanced Work Packaging: Past, Present, and Future

    (Update) History of AWP and WFP Research

    (Update) History of AWP and WFP Research

    AWP Three Main Stages: An Overview

    AWP Three Main Stages: An Overview

    How effective is your company's 
Constructability Review (CR) process?

    How effective is your company's Constructability Review (CR) process?

    Delivering A Successul Project

    Delivering A Successul Project

    A Conversation with Petra Polster  on Advanced Work Packaging

    Systems and practices: from a fragmented to an integrated approach

    Systems and practices: from a fragmented to an integrated approach

    Extending Design Information To Operations: What's Stopping Us?

    Extending Design Information To Operations: What's Stopping Us?

    Advanced Work Packaging: Thinking with the End in Mind

    Advanced Work Packaging: Thinking with the End in Mind

    {"items":["5fda64daf16bd5002e5b6adf","5fda64daffb0f20017ad562a","5fda64daffb0f20017ad562b","5fda64daffb0f20017ad5626","5fda64daffb0f20017ad5627","5fda64daffb0f20017ad5623","5fda64daffb0f20017ad562c","5fda64daffb0f20017ad5624","5fda64daffb0f20017ad5629","5fda64da745c65001790fd31"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Strips","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":"100%/100%","isVertical":false,"gallerySize":30,"collageDensity":0.8,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":true,"imageMargin":0,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":false,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":true,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":120,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":true,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":3,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_HOVER","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":true,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":1,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":18,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":160,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":220,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":5,"targetItemSize":220,"selectedLayout":"5|bottom|1|fill|false|1|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":5,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0},"container":{"width":220,"height":284,"galleryWidth":220,"galleryHeight":123,"scrollBase":0}}
    Archive
    • July 2020 (1) 1 post
    • April 2020 (1) 1 post
    • January 2020 (1) 1 post
    • September 2019 (3) 3 posts
    • July 2019 (1) 1 post
    • May 2019 (3) 3 posts
    • February 2019 (3) 3 posts
    • January 2019 (1) 1 post
    • December 2018 (1) 1 post
    • November 2018 (1) 1 post
    • September 2018 (1) 1 post
    • July 2018 (1) 1 post
    • June 2018 (1) 1 post
    • April 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • February 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • January 2018 (2) 2 posts
    • November 2017 (1) 1 post
    • October 2017 (1) 1 post
    • August 2017 (1) 1 post
    • June 2017 (1) 1 post
    • April 2017 (1) 1 post
    • March 2017 (1) 1 post
    • January 2017 (1) 1 post
    • December 2016 (1) 1 post
    • September 2016 (6) 6 posts
    • August 2016 (2) 2 posts
    • April 2016 (1) 1 post
    • March 2016 (2) 2 posts
    • February 2016 (1) 1 post
    • December 2015 (2) 2 posts
    • November 2015 (1) 1 post
    • June 2015 (1) 1 post
    • May 2015 (4) 4 posts
    • April 2015 (5) 5 posts
    • March 2015 (1) 1 post
    Search By Tags
    No tags yet.
    Follow Us