THE ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION
The engineer officer must organize the engineering
department. An engineer officer who is assigned to a
ship before it is commissioned will have to organize his
department for the first time. Even on older ships with
efficient and well-run departments, a newly assigned
engineer officer may find that some reorganization is
necessary.
All hands must understand the functional
relationships within the department. Organizational
charts and functional guides are the best means to make
the details of an organization known. We will explain
each in the following paragraphs.
Organizational charts show the arrangement of the
various departments and divisions and the command
staff relationships of personnel in the organization. An
engineering department organization chart (fig. 1-3)
shows the relationship among the engineer officer, his
assistants, division officers, material officer, and
leading petty officer billets. Keep this chart in the
engineering department office (logroom).
There are two commonly used types of
organization charts: structural and functional. A
structural organization chart (fig. 1-3) outlines the basic
relationships between the various components of the
organization. A functional organization chart presents
the functions of the various segments of the
organization and the interrelationships of those
functions.
An organization chart provides all personnel in an
organization with a concise picture of the relationship
of individuals within the organization. In a large
organization, charts should be prepared for each level,
becoming more detailed as they illustrate smaller
segments of the organization. In smaller commands,
charts of only the department organization may serve.
Functional guides are primarily job descriptions
that show a clear path of delegated authority. These
guides set forth instructions for the basic objective of
each billet; the duties, responsibility, and authority
applicable to the billet; and the organizational
relationships defining the accountability between the
incumbent and his supervisor (fig. 1-4).
Ship organization and regulations manuals provide
organization charts and functional guides to ship’s
personnel in an easily referenced form. OPNAVINST
3120.32B includes the following requirements as a
minimum:
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Descriptions, both written and graphic, of the
ship’s administrative organization from the
commanding officer’s level downward and of the
watch organization through all levels
Organizational bill of the ship
Ship’s regulations
Figure 1-3.—Typical engineering department.
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