Exploring the Managerial Role - Applying Resources to Activities to Achieve Results
The managerial role is about process planning, execution, and control. The role is performed by any individual who has to achieve results, not necessarily just appointed executives and managers.
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The managerial role is essential for earning the value inherent in innovative ideas. It applies the notion of planning, execution, and control to both project-oriented and perpetually-oriented activities. Planning involves organizing activities and resources; control involves reporting and evaluating status, and making adjustments accordingly.
Research and development activities are project-oriented with a finite beginning and end. Sales and production activities are either perpetually-oriented or project-oriented depending upon the nature of the products and/or services offered.
Mass manufacturing work is perpetually-oriented enabling large volumes of products to be delivered from a single design. Orders may repeat indefinitely provided that the market doesn't tire. Custom manufacturing work is project-oriented requiring a product to be built to order from a unique or tailored design. Through the use of computer-aided design and manufacturing, it is possible to achieve a hybrid of mass manufacturing with custom design.
Within the context of planning and policy development, deployment, and performance measurement activities, the managerial role comprises organization, execution, evaluation, and adjustment.
Organization:
- Confirming scope, objectives and goals (budget, schedule and quality standards)
- Assigning people to tasks
- Securing facilities and equipment, materials and supplies
- Training
Execution:
- Communicating to the team, and to sponsors
- Assigning and accomplishing tasks
- Solving problems
- Handling exceptions
Evaluation:
- Monitoring the earned value in terms of scope, objectives, budget, schedule, and quality
- Assessing the people
- Assessing the facilities and equipment, materials and supplies
Adjustment:
- Tuning (scope, objectives, budget, schedule, quality, resources)
- Taking corrective actions for future performance
Work is organized in terms of:
- What is to be accomplished and why (scope, objectives and goals)?
- How it is to be accomplished (resources and work units)?
- When it is to be accomplished (schedule)?
As tasks are executed, progress is evaluated periodically in terms of variances from:
- Budget
- Schedule
- Quality
- Resources (people, materials, supplies, facilities, and equipment)
Adjustments in plans must be made as necessary until the results are delivered, the work is rescoped, or canceled.
The managerial role benefits from the use of both operational and analytical systems for people, products and/or services, processes, and project management that deliver both financial and non-financial information for performance measurement activities.
The managerial role applies resources to activities to achieve results and earn value in conjunction with the entrepreneurial and leadership roles. The managerial role is an enterpriship (entrepreneurship, leadership, and management) competency.
