Function of Management Flashcards
Function of Management
- Planning
- Organizing
- Leading
- Controlling
- Evaluating
Planning
- Where are we now?
- Where do we go from here?
- How do we get there?
- How do we know we are there?
Problem Identification
- In Strategic planning, problems have already been identified;
- Problems are in the form of challenges called ISSUES and CONCERNS;
- Analysis of constraints or obstacles provides planners with ideas to be considered in plan formulation;
o Population
o Health Status
o Health Resources
o Socio-economic Factors
Problem of Health Status
- Framework of analysis:
o Focused on the reasons why an individual moves from the healthy to the sick state;
o Upon getting sick, attention is focused on why a proportion of the patients did not seek medical attention;
o Of those who sought medical care, attention is directed towards finding the reasons why some were not diagnosed correctly;
o Of those diagnosed correctly, explanation is sought why some were not treated properly.
o Of those treated properly, explore the reasons why some did not recover.
Problem Prioritization
- Magnitude of the problem
- Vulnerability to change
- Impact to society
- Administrative support
- Financial requirement
- Magnitude of the problem
deaths caused by the disease as well as prevalence and/or incidence of the disease in the locality as measured by morbidity and mortality rates – higher rates gain higher scores.
- Vulnerability to change
presence or absence of the technology that will control the disease. This is measured by the effectiveness of an intervention to address the disease – the more effective the intervention, the higher the score.
- Impact to society
scope of the population that is affected by the disease directly or indirectly. Conditions that will receive a higher score include high communicability, high degree of disability, bigger amount of money lost when afflicted with the disease.
- Administrative support
extent of local executives’ endorsement of the project. The presence of personal motivation to support programs or health in general gain higher scores.
Financial requirement
amount of money needed to carry out the program/project. A larger amount will get a lower score.
Problem Analysis
- Involves identifying what the main problems are and establishing cause and effect relationships between these problems
- The key purpose of analysis is to ensure that ‘root causes’ are identified and subsequently addressed in the project design, not just the ‘symptoms’
- A clear and comprehensive analysis provides a good foundation on which to develop a set of relevant and focused objectives
- Problem analysis should be undertaken as a group learning activity involving different stakeholders who can contribute relevant technical and local knowledge
- The process is as important as the product. The activity should be taken as a learning experience for all those involved, and as an opportunity for different views and interests to be presented and discussed
- One main tool used in problem analysis is the problem tree.
Problem Tree
Preparatory steps
* Clarify the scope of the investigation or analysis * Inform yourself further
* Identify relevant stakeholders
* Participants need to be informed to be useful and productive
* Conduct the analysis
Steps in Conducting Problem Tree Analysis
- Identifying and listing the main problems
o Using contributions from the group, list all negative statements about the situation being analysed (brainstorm)
o Print each problem statement in clear language on a card and display on the wall or some suitable space
- Identifying core problems
o Through discussions, identify a consensus core problem (the one which appears to be linked to most negative statements)
o Print a precise definition of the core problem on a card.
o Display the card on the wall so the whole group can clearly see it
- Identifying cause and effect
o Distribute the negative statement cards according to whether they are ‘causes’ (leading to the core problem) or ‘effects’ (resulting from the core problem). Place all causes below the core problem and the effects above the core problem
o (Problems that are clear but very general in nature and which affect not only the issue at hand but almost any health problem can be treated as ‘general constraints’ and placed at the side of the problem tree. This keeps the core problem tree focused and manageable.)
- Identifying cause and effect
o Further structure the statements in the problem tree by selecting one of the statements and asking “what leads to this?” Then select from the other cards the most likely cause and place it below the chosen statement. Do the same for the other cards.
o If there are 2 or more causes combining to produce an effect, place them side by side below the resulting effect.
o Similarly, ask if there are any more effects resulting from that cause.
o If there are multiple effects resulting from a cause, place them side by side above the cause
- Checking the logic
o Pick out one card from the top of the problem tree and work back through the diagram according to the guide question: “what leads to, or causes, that?” To check the logic and completeness of the diagram
o Connect the cards with arrows to show cause-effect relationships
Object Analysis
- Done by preparing an objective tree
- Problem statements (negatives) transformed into objective statements (positives)
- Shows the means-end relationship between objectives
- Leads directly into developing the project’s narrative description in the Logical Framework matrix
Once the negative statements in the problem tree have been reworded into positives, check:
o Are the statements clear and unambiguous?
o Are the links between each statement logical and reasonable?
o Are the positive actions at one level sufficient to lead to the results above?
o Will the achievement of one help support the attainment of another above it?
o Is there a need to add any other positive statements/actions?
o Is the overall structure simple and clear?
Alternatives Analysis
- Done by preparing an alternative tree:
Questions to ask could include:
o Should all of the identified problems and/or objectives be tackled or just a few?
o What is the combination of interventions that are most likely to bring about desired results and promote sustainability of benefits?
o What are the likely capital and recurrent costs implications of different interventions?
o What can be realistically afforded?
o Which strategy will best support participation by both women and men?
o Which strategy will most effectively support institutional strengthening objectives?
Criteria that may be used to assess different intervention options
Benefits to target groups – equity and participation
Sustainability of benefits
Ability to repair and maintain assets post- project
Total and recurrent cost implications
Financial and economic viability * Technical feasibility
Contribution to institutional strengthening and management capacity building
Environmental impact
Compatibility of project with sector or program priorities
