Scientific methods of engineering are applied in several fields not connected directly to manufacture and construction. Modern engineering is characterized by the broad application of what is known as systems engineering principles. The systems approach is a methodology of decision-making in design, operation or construction, that adopts the formal process included in what is known as the scientific method; an interdisciplinary or team approach, using specialists from not only the various engineering disciplines, but from legal, social, aesthetic, and behavioral fields as well; a formal sequence of procedure employing the principles of operations research.
Engineers in industry work not only with machines but also with people to determine, for example, how machines can be operated most efficiently by the workers. A small change in the location of the controls of a machine or of its position with relation to other machines or equipment, or a change in the muscular movements of the operator, often results in greatly increased production. This type of engineering work is called time-study engineering.
Among various recent trends in the engineering profession licensing and computerization are the most widespread. Today, many engineers, like doctors and lawyers, are licensed, by the state. The trend in modern engineering offices is overwhelming toward computerization. Computers are increasingly used for solving complex problems as well as for handling, storing, and generating the enormous volume of data modern engineers must work with.
