Effective assignment of work items for an engineering consulting project based on consulting engineer selection matrix

Abstract

ABSTRACT To reasonably utilize human resources, engineering consulting firms should establish effective task assignment mechanisms. In this study, the consulting engineer selection matrix (CESM) was proposed to select engineers for a work item of an engineering consulting project on the basis of contract amount reasonableness, work item importance, engineer hourly rate, and engineer experience. The matrix identified the available engineers in an engineering consulting firm who possessed the operating experience to execute a specific work item. The matrix also divided the engineers into four quadrants depending on contract amount reasonableness and work item importance. A project manager then selected the engineers of a work item depending on their hourly rate (high or low) and experience (experienced or inexperienced) and depending on four task assignment strategies, which entailed the lowest cost, maximum engineer experience, optimal cost efficiency, and imparting experience. The results confirmed that the CESM reduced the salary expenditure of projects without reducing the competence requirements of team members or the investment of human resources. It also allowed project managers to select suitable engineers as project team members instead of passively waiting for functional departments to allocate engineers.