CSC2123 Management Notes

By Prof. Dave Penny
Nov.25, 2002

• People
  • Hiring
    • Interviewing skills
      • Identify what you want from a candidate
      • Probe with questions
      • Let them do most of the talking
  • Responsibility Design
    • Styles:
      • Task-driven management
      • Responsibility-driven management
    • Constantly adjust
    • Some must be task-managed
  • Assessment and feedback
    • Regular feedback
    • Annual/Semi-annual review
    • 360 reviews
  • Training
    • Sometimes for them, not for the company
    • Some benefit from a more structured approach to learning
    • Ensure they apply themselves (e.g., seminar upon return)
  • Career development
    • Ask frequently re. goals
    • Help to achieve those goals
    • Provide feedback
  • Compensation
    • base, benefits, bonus, options
    • Market will rule, but are there other benefits of their working here?
    • Rank employees privately, ensure no inequities in compensation
    • Don't be intimidated by threats of leaving
  • Motivation
    • Understand what motivates a particular employee
    • Can't always give them what they want
    • Can work towards it, though
  • Stay in touch
    • Walk around
    • Ask "What are you working on"
    • Ask "Any problems"
    • Ask "Is there anything I can do to assist?"
  • Firing
    • Document problems
  • Lead by example
    • Must practice what you preach
    • e.g., If you want long hours, you must put them in yourself
• Process
  • Process design
  • Process communication
  • Process training
  • Process evolution
  • All of the above benefit from written descriptions
    • Small, short documents
    • Can't be exhaustive
    • Live documents
• Technical (if applicable)
  • Generate ideas inclusively
    • Encourage lots of ideas
  • Make technical decisions
    • Balance strength of your own convictions
    • with de-motivational aspects
    • don't sweat the small stuff (even in a small way)
    • leadership capital is expendable
  • Review work products
• Planning
  • Understand what's on your plate
  • Understand the deadlines
  • Clarify what resources you have available
  • Clarify what authority, scope of decision making, you have
  • Ensure resources can accomplish goals
  • Establish longer-term objectives
  • Build longer-term plans to achieve the objectives
  • Achieve buy-in
• Upwards
  • Boss cannot "just trust you" - would be irresponsible of them
    • Your responsibility = boss's responsibility
    • must keep them informed
  • Reporting design
    • Design some mechanism to keep boss informed
    • e.g., a Web-page that captures and crystalizes status
  • Judgment: Must have good judgement to choose when to
    • make a decision unilaterally
    • make a decision and inform boss
      • so boss is not blind-sided later by your decision
    • ask boss regarding which way to go
      • when more properly his/her responsibility
• Outwards
  • Coordinate with peers
  • Maintain good working relationships
    • Mutual favors
    • Collect debts and call them
  • Resolve subordinate's issues
    • Never get drawn in
    • Argue separately among supervisors
    • Unified front to resolve
• Company
  • Present a good image / inspire confidence
  • Buy-into things you may not agree with
    • take a page from the military chain of command
• Asking for things
  • Make clear what you want
    • write it down
    • go over it together
  • Establish due date
    • Confirm via e-mail
  • Follow-up 2 days before
  • Follow-up when due
  • If not done, repeat calmly
  • Always provide a mechanism for checking if something is done
    • Design feedback into the system
    • Define quality records
    • Include review results
• Arbitrating disputes
  • Never take sides
  • Listen to both sides carefully
  • Don't speak except to ask for clarification, and even then be careful
  • As for the courts, don't rely on hearsay
  • Do your own independent research
  • Review work products
  • Take your time
  • Compromise
  • Require face-saving solutions
  • Monitor the resolution