Principles of Management

ASSIGNMENT Term - 1

Subramanyam Gayathri Saran

PR No: 180101616161
EPGDM Term - 1, 34th Batch
Alliance University

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POM Assignments (Principles of Management)
Part 1:
 Write about any process in your organisation which can be related to any of the management
theories or principles and justify the same. (max words: 1000)

One of the processes we use in our organisation is Waterfall Model which can be taken as one of the
best examples to justify the Management theories.

Introduction

The Waterfall Model was the first Process Model to be introduced. It is also referred to as a linear-
sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall model, each phase
must be completed before the next phase can begin and there is no overlapping in the phases. The
Waterfall model is the earliest SDLC (Software Development life Cycle) approach.

The waterfall Model illustrates the software development process in a linear sequential flow. This
means that any phase in the development process begins only if the previous phase is complete. In
this waterfall model, the phases do not overlap. Waterfall approach was first SDLC Model to be used
widely in Software Engineering to ensure success of the project. In "The Waterfall" approach, the
whole process of software development is divided into separate phases. In this Waterfall model,
typically, the outcome of one phase acts as the input for the next phase sequentially.

Management theories in the Waterfall Model for a Software Development Process:

Hence it is a proven and successful model. So every organization has adopted this approach.
Waterfall model is based on the following 6 management theories.

REF: Google

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The six life cycle stages of the original waterfall model are:

1. Requirements - In this phase, the expectations and goals of the project are defined, and risks are
analysed.

2. Design - After identifying the goals of the project, work commences on designing the product. A
blueprint is drawn up for the coders with a plan for meeting the requirements.

3. Construction - Also known as development, implementation or coding, where the software for the
project is written.

4.Testing and Debugging - In this stage, the software is stress-tested and combed over for errors,
and to make sure the product meets the client’s requirements.

5. Installation - After testing and debugging are completed, the product is implemented according to
the agreed-upon requirements. Another round of testing and verification often follows after
implementation.

6. Maintenance - After the delivery of the product to the client, a schedule maintenance and support
is put into place, to ensure the product continues to work as designed.

The central idea of the waterfall model is to spend the majority of time, money and effort up front:
twenty to forty percent in the first two phases in which thirty to forty percent on coding /
development, and the rest during the implementation and maintenance.

Management theories in the Waterfall Model for a Software Development Process:

FORECASTING:

This involves forecasting the human effort, hours, risks and threats involved in it. Waterfall mainly
concentrates the future course of action.

PLANNING:

This is the most crucial part and waterfall model makes us to plan the requirement till execution.
Here in this we will plan according to the requirements given by the clients. We need to deliver the
product to the end users within the stipulated time. So effective planning is needed to complete.
Some of the team mates involve in the planning and some of the peers will start working towards the
completion.

ORGANISING:

This entails providing capital, raw materials for running the business. Waterfall model enables us to
organize the things such as the team structure, billing, testing and movement to production.

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COMMANDING:

Waterfall helps us to balance between the activities of organization as in sales to production and
procurement to production. Fayol suggested that weekly conferences for department heads will solve
the problems.

CONTROLLING:

Controlling in the Waterfall process is handled by the project manager and the Delivery manager of
the respective projects and they would be responsible for the delivery of the product before deadline.

Part 2:
 Write about any new challenge that would be most prominent in the next five years for any
middle level manager related to the industry which you are associated with and prescribe a
leadership style which you would be suitable to deal with it. (Max words: 1000).

Introduction:

Vertically ordering managerial functions allows managers at different tiers to focus on different
ranges or scopes of organizational behaviour and strategy. One of the weaknesses of this type of
managerial organization is that it can polarize power and salary, as well as create a rigid structure
that reduces information flow. Top-level managers (such as CEOs) tend to be big-picture strategic
thinkers with a substantial amount of experience in the industry and/or function they manage. The
executive team focuses on determining long-term strategy, strategic alliances, large financial
decisions, and management of stakeholders (and the board of directors

Some views on management revolve around vertical differentiation, or creating a hierarchical view
of managers. This is useful to visualize in a chart, where top management is logically at the top,
overseeing the entire organization. Middle managers are in the middle, acting as a bridge between
upper management and certain work groups. Lower managers are task or process oriented, managing
functional specialists and projects.

Middle-Level Management:

Middle management is the intermediate management level accountable to top management and
responsible for leading lower level managers.

Recognize the specific responsibilities and job functions often assigned to middle-level management.

 Middle management is at the centre of a hierarchical organization, subordinate to the senior

management but above the lowest levels of operational staff.
 Middle managers are accountable to top management for their department’s function. They
provide guidance to lower-level managers and inspire them to perform better.
 Middle-management functions generally revolve around enabling teams of workers to
perform effectively and efficiently and reporting these performance indicators to upper
management.

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  Middle management may be reduced in organizations as a result of reorganization. Such
changes can take the form of downsizing,” delay-ring,” and outsourcing.

The following would be the Challenges faced by middle-level managers in next five years:

A strong middle management also provides organisations with a pipeline of future leaders. Besides, a
strong managerial cadre also offers the added benefits of providing much needed continuity and low
attrition.

Middle managers have a complicated relationship with power because power is activated and
experienced in the context of interpersonal relationships. When interacting with our superiors, we
naturally adopt a more deferential low-power behavioural style. When interacting with subordinates,
on the other hand, we adopt a more assertive high-power behavioural style. Failure to conform to
these role-based expectations can lead to social conflicts and confusion, so people are very good at
learning how to play the part that is expected of them.

Middle managers, however, are expected to play very different roles when moving from one
interaction to the next, alternating between relatively high and relatively low power interaction
styles.

Below are some ways to ease the challenges of middle-level managers:

Simplify the reporting structure to reduce upward and downward interactions. This may include
eliminating unnecessary meetings that force employees to interact across role boundaries, or
structuring workflow to minimize frequent shifts in relative power.

Conduct a network audit to determine how employees across role boundaries connect to each other
in person, via email, etc., and what implications this network structure has for feelings of power.

Help middle managers see their various role-based identities as integrated, as opposed to segmented,
through effective on boarding and training. This may be achieved by directly tying the
responsibilities of middle managers to the broader organizational mission, thus helping middle
managers to re-frame their self-identity from “sometimes a supervisor and sometimes a subordinate”
to “a middle manager who is important to this company.” Keep in mind that some middle managers
are inherently comfortable switching between high and low-power mindsets, while others will need
help to view the seemingly incompatible aspects of their jobs as parts of a coherent identity.

Don’t micromanage your middle managers. This creates unnecessary role switching from their
perspective. It is better to provide your strategic input to middle management and then allow them
the freedom to implement those strategies with a high-power mindset.

It may be especially challenging to negotiate vertical role transitions in hierarchical organizational

cultures. Thus, embracing more egalitarian organizational cultures and structures may minimize
these challenges, effectively reducing the behavioural discrepancies between high- and low-power
roles.
Show willingness to make tough decisions. Nobody likes to lay off people or read out the riot act but
if the situation demands so, be prepared to take it on rather than shirk. Senior management is always

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watching your actions, particularly in tough situations to see how you respond.