Management. A quick guide for beginner managers and experienced subordinates
Modern management includes a range of disciplines that combine a variety of functions, from risk management to resource management and marketing. Today we will take a look at the project management within an IT company in general, describe the main functions of the manager (each of which includes thousands of subfunctions and even more various tasks) and disprove several stable and harmful myths. This article is for beginner PMs, as well as for those who grew up as a programmer manager.
Security question: how does a manager differ from a subordinate? In fact, the main difference is the responsibility for the result. The manager is responsible for the result of the whole team. Against this background, neither problem solving nor salary is the main distinguishing feature between the subordinate and the manager.
Now let's talk about the functions of the manager. There are five of them :
The main task of the manager is to plan the process as a whole. Let's take the simplest: for example, a startup starts and the task of the manager is to plan what should happen and in what time frame. “When do I need to rent an office?” When should I hire a team? When is it necessary to perform a particular task? ”The detailed plan determines the completeness and ease of implementation, links organizational issues with the tasks that the project sets. How well you rank the tasks, how effectively you can control the progress of the project.
The following function of the manager is:
Roughly speaking, everything rises here except people. We need to take care of jobs, materials, equipment. Any competent manager is obliged to create all the conditions for performing the task, first of all, to take care of the elementary everyday convenience of the workplace of his subordinates. This is followed by the formalization of processes and policies within the company, the ease of communication with customers, which at times can bring the brain to the most persistent programmer, qualitatively formalized tasks and reasonable time frames for their implementation. An example of an illustrative organization is the famous Google offices, where everything, including the schedule of the working day, is designed to make a person in the office happier than at home.
As practice shows, the quality organization of life directly affects the performance and mood in the company, no matter how many people it has, and therefore you should not ignore the needs of colleagues. It is often more profitable to buy good coffee and rent a comfortable office than to look for new qualified employees and train them in the specifics of work.
Next is:
- And if I have a choice between one very good candidate and three not very, but who together will perform the same work, which usually one good but usually for a smaller amount. What should I do in this situation?
- It all depends on your tasks. If the project is long, and I take only one person, then in case of his illness, you yourself understand what is happening: his tasks are simply impossible for anyone to perform. That is, it all depends on your projects and specific tasks.
From the lecture of Ivan Pechersky (Astound, Web Development Manager)
')
Security question: how objective should a manager be when selecting people for a team?
At first glance, it may seem that the manager should be as objective as possible, a finger of justice. In no case. Forget what objectivity is. Always use subjective criteria when choosing specialists. Ask yourself the question: “Will I be able to work with this person?” Or “How long can I work with him?”. If you already see at the initial stage that you are with a person, as they say, on different waves, you and your team probably do not need it. If you feel that you are ready to work with him for a year, two, ten - this is an excellent choice.
Each of us is unique, and you as a manager are no exception. Therefore, you select a unique team, by itself.
If you come to an existing team, first of all find out more about your new colleagues. And not only from technical interviews - talk with them about what they live with, what they like, make a balanced subjective opinion about them. If suddenly among your subordinates are those with whom you clearly have some kind of “misunderstandings", formalize your relationship from the very beginning. Agree "ashore", having communicated sincerely and openly. Tell the person what you demand from him and what he can demand from you.
So we put together a team, what next?
People need to be directed, according to your final goals. You get the expected result from the team, and people, in turn, get the opportunity for development and further growth.
The direction may be short-term or long-term. If it is necessary for Petya Pyatochkin to repair the fence for tomorrow's lunch, this is a task for the short-term direction. We need to make sure that the person understands the task and remembers the timing, motivate him, help find the reason why it will be useful for him personally to accomplish this task (studying new technologies, for example), provide him with all the necessary data and tools for its implementation, and upon completion - give feedback, emphasizing success or pointing out the disadvantages.
The long-term direction is when we set a true junior boy on the path, planning to see him in the past few years with a senior minister or, for example, an architect. Here we can’t just say “hey, do everything to become an architect by the seventeenth!” This is not how it works. It is necessary to monitor his progress, to give him the right tasks, which will develop him in the right direction, giving him the opportunity to realize himself as an expert.
The last function of the manager is:
On this function all managers begin to “fall down”. We are used to the fact that control is a constant leash, Big Brother’s heavy gaze, constant reports and other unpleasant things.
Control should be invisible and based on constant, but non-invasive observation. Reporting is, of course, important. It will allow you to look into the past and analyze possible mistakes. How well we planned the work and picked up the staff, so well we will be able to control it. The subordinates themselves should talk about certain difficulties, warn you about changes, put forward ideas for improvement. You should know what to expect from your team, you should be able to predict the result.
All functions of the manager are interrelated and work in conjunction with each other. Properly adjusted, they contribute to creating a healthy working atmosphere in the team and to the triumph of common sense in the process of working on the project.
Brief comments on popular theses on managers and management:
1. The manager must do all the work himself .
The manager can and should delegate part of his tasks to subordinates. In fact, this is what every self-respecting manager should be able to do. The ability to build trust in a team, calculate the one who wants to grow along the managerial path, and give him some of his work is a cool life hack for a manager. So you free up some of your time, allow members of your team to learn and grow faster, and increase your own chances of career growth - in any case, you will not be transferred higher before you prepare a replacement for yourself. Profit
2. The manager should not trust anyone .
Wrong. Trust is the result of your communication efforts. Organize confidential communication with team members and enjoy the benefits of delegating tasks and the confidence that everyone will give their best. I could not - there are always vacancies on the “free ticket office!”
3. The manager must always be objective .
Neither the manager, nor the welder, nor the CEO is able to be completely objective, since he himself is a subject and subject to complex, but explainable chemical processes in his own organism. Do not try to be better than your nature; a person is not 100% objective, alas. Try to squeeze the most out of your own subjectivity - pick up the ideal team, find a unique scheme of working with your staff - so there is a chance to get better results than if you measure everyone according to the conventionally “objective” line.
4. The manager always protects his team .
No no and one more time no. If your team has done something wrong, you must let it know, otherwise it will constantly hide behind you. Here, of course, as in any situation, common sense will be the best adviser. In many cases, it is really worth covering up the team (if it's worth it, which again, depends on the manager). But sometimes it happens that the rules and deadlines are agreed, everything is in the know, and here some kind of woodpecker clicked on everything, and the project collapses. A manager can create conditions for work, but alas, he is not always able to turn a woodpecker into a genius of productive development. Accordingly, if a team (or its separate parts) is jolted, they need to be aware of this and assign a certain “fine”.
5. The manager should never retreat .
The manager must objectively evaluate his strength and the strength of his team, so how to respond in any case to him personally.
6. The manager is the best teacher .
Managers are bad teachers. They require results, and they usually have no time to learn. Therefore, you should not try to combine the functions of both the singer and the reaper - it will be enough if you can perform your direct duties well.
Useful literature.
People management:
“The human factor: successful projects and teams” Timothy Lister, Tom DeMarco
"22 Laws of People Management" George Ogarev
Project management:
"Waltzing with bears" Timothy Lister, Tom DeMarco
“Deadline. A novel about project management "Tom DeMarco
Security question: how does a manager differ from a subordinate? In fact, the main difference is the responsibility for the result. The manager is responsible for the result of the whole team. Against this background, neither problem solving nor salary is the main distinguishing feature between the subordinate and the manager.
Now let's talk about the functions of the manager. There are five of them :
The main task of the manager is to plan the process as a whole. Let's take the simplest: for example, a startup starts and the task of the manager is to plan what should happen and in what time frame. “When do I need to rent an office?” When should I hire a team? When is it necessary to perform a particular task? ”The detailed plan determines the completeness and ease of implementation, links organizational issues with the tasks that the project sets. How well you rank the tasks, how effectively you can control the progress of the project.
The following function of the manager is:
Roughly speaking, everything rises here except people. We need to take care of jobs, materials, equipment. Any competent manager is obliged to create all the conditions for performing the task, first of all, to take care of the elementary everyday convenience of the workplace of his subordinates. This is followed by the formalization of processes and policies within the company, the ease of communication with customers, which at times can bring the brain to the most persistent programmer, qualitatively formalized tasks and reasonable time frames for their implementation. An example of an illustrative organization is the famous Google offices, where everything, including the schedule of the working day, is designed to make a person in the office happier than at home.
As practice shows, the quality organization of life directly affects the performance and mood in the company, no matter how many people it has, and therefore you should not ignore the needs of colleagues. It is often more profitable to buy good coffee and rent a comfortable office than to look for new qualified employees and train them in the specifics of work.
Next is:
- And if I have a choice between one very good candidate and three not very, but who together will perform the same work, which usually one good but usually for a smaller amount. What should I do in this situation?
- It all depends on your tasks. If the project is long, and I take only one person, then in case of his illness, you yourself understand what is happening: his tasks are simply impossible for anyone to perform. That is, it all depends on your projects and specific tasks.
From the lecture of Ivan Pechersky (Astound, Web Development Manager)
')
Security question: how objective should a manager be when selecting people for a team?
At first glance, it may seem that the manager should be as objective as possible, a finger of justice. In no case. Forget what objectivity is. Always use subjective criteria when choosing specialists. Ask yourself the question: “Will I be able to work with this person?” Or “How long can I work with him?”. If you already see at the initial stage that you are with a person, as they say, on different waves, you and your team probably do not need it. If you feel that you are ready to work with him for a year, two, ten - this is an excellent choice.
Each of us is unique, and you as a manager are no exception. Therefore, you select a unique team, by itself.
If you come to an existing team, first of all find out more about your new colleagues. And not only from technical interviews - talk with them about what they live with, what they like, make a balanced subjective opinion about them. If suddenly among your subordinates are those with whom you clearly have some kind of “misunderstandings", formalize your relationship from the very beginning. Agree "ashore", having communicated sincerely and openly. Tell the person what you demand from him and what he can demand from you.
So we put together a team, what next?
People need to be directed, according to your final goals. You get the expected result from the team, and people, in turn, get the opportunity for development and further growth.
The direction may be short-term or long-term. If it is necessary for Petya Pyatochkin to repair the fence for tomorrow's lunch, this is a task for the short-term direction. We need to make sure that the person understands the task and remembers the timing, motivate him, help find the reason why it will be useful for him personally to accomplish this task (studying new technologies, for example), provide him with all the necessary data and tools for its implementation, and upon completion - give feedback, emphasizing success or pointing out the disadvantages.
The long-term direction is when we set a true junior boy on the path, planning to see him in the past few years with a senior minister or, for example, an architect. Here we can’t just say “hey, do everything to become an architect by the seventeenth!” This is not how it works. It is necessary to monitor his progress, to give him the right tasks, which will develop him in the right direction, giving him the opportunity to realize himself as an expert.
The last function of the manager is:
On this function all managers begin to “fall down”. We are used to the fact that control is a constant leash, Big Brother’s heavy gaze, constant reports and other unpleasant things.
Control should be invisible and based on constant, but non-invasive observation. Reporting is, of course, important. It will allow you to look into the past and analyze possible mistakes. How well we planned the work and picked up the staff, so well we will be able to control it. The subordinates themselves should talk about certain difficulties, warn you about changes, put forward ideas for improvement. You should know what to expect from your team, you should be able to predict the result.
All functions of the manager are interrelated and work in conjunction with each other. Properly adjusted, they contribute to creating a healthy working atmosphere in the team and to the triumph of common sense in the process of working on the project.
Brief comments on popular theses on managers and management:
1. The manager must do all the work himself .
The manager can and should delegate part of his tasks to subordinates. In fact, this is what every self-respecting manager should be able to do. The ability to build trust in a team, calculate the one who wants to grow along the managerial path, and give him some of his work is a cool life hack for a manager. So you free up some of your time, allow members of your team to learn and grow faster, and increase your own chances of career growth - in any case, you will not be transferred higher before you prepare a replacement for yourself. Profit
2. The manager should not trust anyone .
Wrong. Trust is the result of your communication efforts. Organize confidential communication with team members and enjoy the benefits of delegating tasks and the confidence that everyone will give their best. I could not - there are always vacancies on the “free ticket office!”
3. The manager must always be objective .
Neither the manager, nor the welder, nor the CEO is able to be completely objective, since he himself is a subject and subject to complex, but explainable chemical processes in his own organism. Do not try to be better than your nature; a person is not 100% objective, alas. Try to squeeze the most out of your own subjectivity - pick up the ideal team, find a unique scheme of working with your staff - so there is a chance to get better results than if you measure everyone according to the conventionally “objective” line.
4. The manager always protects his team .
No no and one more time no. If your team has done something wrong, you must let it know, otherwise it will constantly hide behind you. Here, of course, as in any situation, common sense will be the best adviser. In many cases, it is really worth covering up the team (if it's worth it, which again, depends on the manager). But sometimes it happens that the rules and deadlines are agreed, everything is in the know, and here some kind of woodpecker clicked on everything, and the project collapses. A manager can create conditions for work, but alas, he is not always able to turn a woodpecker into a genius of productive development. Accordingly, if a team (or its separate parts) is jolted, they need to be aware of this and assign a certain “fine”.
5. The manager should never retreat .
The manager must objectively evaluate his strength and the strength of his team, so how to respond in any case to him personally.
6. The manager is the best teacher .
Managers are bad teachers. They require results, and they usually have no time to learn. Therefore, you should not try to combine the functions of both the singer and the reaper - it will be enough if you can perform your direct duties well.
Useful literature.
People management:
“The human factor: successful projects and teams” Timothy Lister, Tom DeMarco
"22 Laws of People Management" George Ogarev
Project management:
"Waltzing with bears" Timothy Lister, Tom DeMarco
“Deadline. A novel about project management "Tom DeMarco
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/234647/
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