Introduction to Management

1 Chapter Introduction
Management can be defined as all the activities and
tasks undertaken by one or more persons for the purpose
of planning and controlling the activities of others
in order to achieve an objective or complete an
activity that could not be achieved by the others acting
independently [1]. Management as defined by wellknown
authors in the field of management [2]—[6]
contains the following components:
• Planning
• Organizing
Staffing
• Directing (Leading)
• Controlling
For definitions of these terms see Table 1.
WELL CHAPS...THE MISSION OF THE TEAM IS TO CATCH AND ELIMINATE THE NOTORIOUS
COMPUTER BUG—ULTIMA RECTALGIA COMPUPESTI
Table 1.1. Major management functions.
Activity
Planning
Organizing
Staffing
Directing
Controlling
Definition or Explanation
Predetermining a course of action for accomplishing organizational objectives
Arranging the relationships among work units for accomplishment of objectives
and the granting of responsibility and authority to obtain those objectives
Selecting and training people for positions in the organization
Creating an atmosphere that will assist and motivate people to achieve desired
end results
Establishing, measuring, and evaluating performance of activities toward
planned objectives
From Weihrich [7] comes a definition of
management:
All managers carry out the functions of
planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and
controlling, although the time spent in each
function will differ and the skills required
by managers at different organizational levels
vary. Still, all managers are engaged in
getting things done through people. ... The
managerial activities, grouped into the
managerial functions of planning, organizing,
staffing, leading, and controlling, are
carried out by all managers, but the practices
and methods must be adapted to the
particular tasks, enterprises, and situation.
This concept is sometimes called the universality
of management in which managers perform the same
functions regardless of their place in the organizational
structure or the type of enterprise in which they are
managing.
The statement from Weihrich means that
management performs the same functions regardless
of its position in the organization or
the enterprise managed, and
management functions and fundamental activities
are characteristic duties of managers;
management practices, methods, detailed activities,
and tasks are particular to the enterprise
or job managed.
Therefore, the functions and general activities of
management can be universally applied to managing
any organization or activity. Recognition of this concept
is crucial to the improvement of software engineering
project management, for it allows us to apply
the wealth of research in management sciences to improving
the management of software engineering projects
[8]. Additional discussion on the universality of
management can be found in [9].
This chapter and introduction is important to the
readers of this tutorial. The basic assumption of this
tutorial on software engineering project management
is based on a scientific management approach as
follows:
1. Management consists of planning, organizing,
staffing, directing, and controlling.
2. The concepts and activities of management
applies to all levels of management, as well
as to all types of organizations and activities
managed.
Based on these two assumptions, this tutorial
is divided into chapters, based on planning,
organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling,
and
includes articles from other disciplines that
illustrate the concepts of management that
can be applied to software engineering project
management.
2. Chapter Overview
The two articles contained in this chapter introduce
management and show that the management of any
endeavor (like a software engineering project) is the
same as managing any other activity or organization.
The first article, by Heinz Weihrich, sets the stage by
defining management and the major functions of management.
The second article, by Alec MacKenzie, is a
condensed and comprehensive overview of management
from the Harvard Business Review.
3. Article Descriptions
The first article in this chapter is extracted from an
internationally famous book, Management by Weihrich,
10th edition [10], and adapted specifically by
Weihrich for this tutorial. Earlier editions of this book
were written by Harold Koontz and Cyril O'Donnell
from the University of California, Los Angeles; Weihrich
joined them as a co-author with the 7th edition.
Both Koontz and O'Donnell are now deceased, leaving
Weihrich to be the author of future editions. In this
article, Weihrich
1. defines and describes the nature and purpose
of management,
2. states that management applies to all kinds of
organizations and to managers at all organizational
levels,
3. defines the managerial functions of planning,
organizing, staffing, leading [directing], and
controlling,
4. states that managing requires a systems approach
and that practice always takes into account
situations and contingencies, and
5. recognizes that the aim of all managers is to
be productive—that is, to carry out their activities
effectively and efficiently and to create
a "surplus."
Weihrich introduced the term "leading" to replace
the term "directing" used by Koontz and O'Donnell in
their earlier books. The articles by Richard Thayer will
stay with the older term "directing."
The last article by Alec MacKenzie is also a classic.
It is still the most comprehensive yet condensed
description of management in existence. MacKenzie
presents a top-down description of management starting
with the elements of management—ideas, things,
and people—and ending with a detailed description of
general management activities—all on one foldout
page.
References
1. Koontz, H., C. O'Donnell, and H. Weihrich, Management,
7th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1980.
2. Koontz, H., C. O'Donnell, and H. Weihrich, Management,
7th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1980.
3. Cleland, D.I. and W.R. King, Management: A Systems
Approach, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1972.
4. MacKenzie, R.A., "The Management Process in 3-D,"
Harvard Business Review, Nov.-Dec. 1969, pp. 80-87.
5. Blanchard, B.S. and W.J. Fabrycky, System Engineering
and Analysis, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, Englewood
Cliffs, N.J., 1990.
6. Kerzner, H., Project Management: A Systems Approach
to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 3rd
ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, N.Y., 1989.
7. Koontz, H. and C. O'Donnell, Principles of Management:
An Analysis of Managerial Functions, 5th ed.,
McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1972.
8. Thayer, R.H. and A.B. Pyster, "Guest Editorial: Software
Engineering Project Management," IEEE Transactions
on Software Engineering, Vol. SE-10, No. 1,
Jan. 1984.
9. Fayol, H., General and Industrial Administration, Sir
Isaac Pitman & Sons, London, UK, 1949.
10. Weihrich, H. and H. Koontz, Management: A Global
Perspective, 10th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, NY,
1993.