Date of Award

12-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM)

Department

Engineering Management

First Advisor

Craig Downing

Abstract

New engineers hired into New Product Development (NPD) roles are assigned projects, which align to their job functions after the completion of their onboarding. These projects provide a medium for the engineers to explore their career paths and growth while solving company problems. Inefficiencies in integrating new hires into their roles has led to disruptions and delays in project successful executions. With that in mind, the focus of this integrated project was to uncover ways to improve integration of new hires into NPD roles of a named manufacturing plant, Cummins Inc. Fuel Systems Plant (FSP).

Specifically, the study examined the impact of the manufacturing industry, organizational culture and the onboarding process on new NPD hires. A sample size of 13 participants was utilized to conduct the study and a survey questionnaire was used to collect data. The author concluded that communication within cross functional teammates and organizational behavior have the highest impact on a successful project execution timeline. Conclusions drawn from the study are limited due to the small sample size. Future work could involve more research on how to optimize the learning period for new and potential employees to save time, money and resources for the company.

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