An assessment of competency requirements of design engineers in Pakistan and development of a framework for improvement

The core competencies of design engineers are specific skills, attributes and behavior patterns that are required for successful performance of design engineer´s jobs and/or their roles. A meticulous literature review was carried out to develop a thorough understanding of design, design process, engineering design, and an exhaustive list of competencies. The identified 87 competencies were classified in 7 categories i.e. personal attributes, behavior attributes, interpersonal skills, cognitive skills, management competencies, technical competencies, and contract administration skills. The identified/classified competencies were modeled into a survey questionnaire, which was then pilot tested, modified and used for the survey. The research also investigated reasons of design success and failure and sought suggestions for the improvements. The 401 valid responses from a total of 437 responding engineers from 12 specializations, employed by 4 types of organizations throughout Pakistan were analyzed and documented. The research also looked at the education of engineering design in Pakistan´s Engineering Universities and the role they play in developing core competencies in the engineers they produce. The results were checked for response validity and the response groups having Cronbach Alpha greater than 0.7 were included in the analysis. The studied 87 competencies were re-classified into three groups i.e. core/required, good to have and add-on based on the cumulative score which present the good blend of hard core engineering skills as well as soft skills in all three categories. A framework to develop/improve the competency profile of engineers is also presented.