Chief Engineer
主査·shusa·"chief investigator, lead examiner"
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A chief engineer is the single person accountable for a product's success, integrating all functions and making final decisions throughout development.
Definition
A chief engineer (shusa at Toyota) is the single individual accountable for all aspects of a product's development and market success. Unlike traditional project managers who coordinate activities, the chief engineer owns the product concept, makes final technical and business trade-off decisions, and is ultimately responsible for whether the product succeeds. The chief engineer integrates marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain perspectives, ensuring that trade-offs benefit the customer and the company rather than individual departments. This role combines technical depth, business acumen, and cross-functional leadership.
Examples
Key Points
- One person accountable, not a committee—enables faster, more coherent decisions
- Combines technical credibility with business understanding
- Must have authority to make decisions, not just coordinate
- Stays with the product through development and into market performance
Common Misconceptions
Chief engineer is just a senior project manager. Project managers coordinate schedules and resources. Chief engineers make product decisions and are accountable for outcomes—fundamentally different roles.
The chief engineer does everything. They integrate and decide, not execute. Specialists do the work; the chief engineer ensures it creates a coherent, successful product.