Vision Africa Health & Technology College

Afar Regional State

Samara, 2023

Human Resource Operation

Implementing Human Resource

Operational Plan
By
Arefayne Eshete Desta
(BA in Accounting & Finance and MBA graduated)
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 Unit Four:
Plan and organize workflow

Unit Contents:
4.1 Scheduling work
4.2 Delegating work
4.3 Assessing workflow
4.4 Assisting colleagues of workload
4.5 Providing input to management staffing needs

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 4.1 Scheduling work
4.1 Work Schedule
4.1.1. Plan & Organize Work Activities
 Planning and organization makes efficient use of your time at the office by
keeping you focused from beginning to completion of a project.
 A comprehensive plan for work activities and projects ensures you tackle
all necessary steps for success.
 Organizational tools allow you to track the planning progress for the
activity.

 An organizational plan also facilitates collaboration and information

sharing with other team members who play a role in the completion of the
activities.
 Tweaking your organizational method allows you to create the

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Step 1
• Identify the scope and goals of the planning process related to each work activity. Determine
what you need to accomplish for the success of the activity or project. Identify the
employees who will play a role in the task if it is a team project.

Step 2
• Break down the major tasks for the activity into smaller steps that you need to take for
completion, essentially creating a to-do list for the project. If other employees are working
on the tasks with you, assign each person a role and specific responsibilities to divide the
workload.

Step 3
• Establish the timeline for completing the work activity. Assign each individual task that goes
into the activity a completion date to make sure everything is completed in a timely manner.
Give yourself enough time to complete all associated tasks before the deadline passes.

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Step 4
• Write each due date for the project tasks on your calendar, or set up reminders
that pop up on your computer screen as the deadlines approach. most effective
planning system for your office.
Step 5
• Identify potential problems or barriers you may face for the work activities.
Create an action plan to avoid those issues to keep the project on track.
Step 6
• Utilize an online project management program for major work activities that are
critical to the company's success. These programs are particularly effective for
complicated projects or activities that involve many team members. The progress
is tracked and all employees can stay updated through the program.

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Step 7
• Schedule planning meetings when active participation and feedback is
needed from others working on the project. Keep the meetings focused and
productive to use the time efficiently.
Step 8
• Send out regular updates and communication to all other employees who
are working on the project. This allows all team members to stay informed
and update their to-do lists and timelines as necessary.

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 4.2 Delegating work
 Delegation is an administrative process of getting things done by others by
giving them responsibility.
 Every superior delegates the authority to subordinates for getting a
particular work done. The process goes to the level where actual work is
executed. The person who is made responsible for a particular work is
given the requisite authority for getting it done.
• There is a limit up to which a person can supervise the subordinates. When
the number of subordinates increases beyond it then he will have to
delegate his powers to others who perform supervision for him.

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 “Delegation refers to a manager’s ability to share his burden with others. It
consists of granting authority or the right to decision making in certain
defined areas and charging subordinates with responsibility for carrying
through an assigned task.”
4.2.1. Characteristics of Delegation
 Delegation takes place when a manager grants some of his powers to
subordinates.
 Delegation occurs only when the person delegating the authority himself
has that authority i.e. a manager must possess what he wants to delegate.
 Only a part of authority is delegated to subordinates.

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 A manager delegating authority can reduce, enhance or take it back. He
exercises full control over the activities of the subordinates even after
delegation.
- It is only the authority which is delegated and not the responsibility. A
manager can not - abdicate responsibility by delegating authority to
subordinates.

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4.2.2 Elements of Delegation:

Delegation involves following three elements

1. Assignment of Responsibility:
o The first step in delegation is the assignment of work or duty to the
subordinate i.e. delegation of authority. The superior asks his subordinate to
perform a particular task in a given period of time. It is the description of the
role assigned to the subordinate. Duties in terms of functions or tasks to be
performed constitute the basis of delegation process.

2. Grant of Authority:
o The grant of authority is the second element of delegation. The delegator
grants authority to the subordinates so that the assigned task is accomplished.

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o The delegation of responsibility with authority is meaningless. The

subordinate can only accomplish the work when he has the authority
required for completing that task.
o Authority is derived from responsibility. It is the power, to order or
command, delegated from superior, to enable the subordinate to discharge
his responsibility. The superior may transfer it to enable the subordinate to
complete his assigned work properly. There should be a balance between
authority and responsibility. The superior should delegate sufficient
authority to do the assigned work.

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3. Creation of Accountability:
o Accountability is the obligation of a subordinate to perform the duties assigned
to him. The delegation creates an obligation on the subordinate to accomplish
the task assigned to him by the superior. When a work is assigned and authority
is delegated then the accountability is the byproduct of this process.
o The authority is transferred so that a particular work is completed as desired.
This means that delegator has to ensure the completion of assigned work.
Authority flows downward whereas accountability flows upward. The
downward flow of authority and upward flow of accountability must have parity
at each position of management hierarchy.
o The subordinate should be made accountable to only one superior. Single
accountability improves work and discipline.

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 Popular Reasons Why Manager Fail to Delegate

Figure 4.1 Infographic by Live and Learn Consultancy

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4.2.3 Principles of Effective Delegation
 Delegation is very different from simply assigning someone a task or
project that falls into his or her established job description or requirements.
When you delegate, you give someone else one of your job tasks to
complete with the authority and control to complete it properly.
 Here are five principles that can help you create an effective delegation
process.
1. Determine what you will delegate. Effective delegation begins with
defining your responsibilities. Write down all of your activities and
responsibilities. Review your master list and categorize all of the items into
two secondary lists: things you alone must do and things that others could
do or help you complete. Anything that falls into the second list presents an
opportunity for delegation.

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2. Choose the right person to delegate the task to. Andrew Carnegie said,
"The secret to success lies not in doing your own work, but in recognizing
the right person to do it." The key to finding the right person to delegate an
assignment to is matching skills and attitude to the task at hand.

3. Clarify the desired results. When the results are clear, it allows the employee
to use his or her own creativity and resources to accomplish the task. An
added benefit of effective delegation is the individual may find a better and
more effective way to accomplish the task or achieve the desired results.

4. Clearly define the employee's responsibility and authority as it relates to

the delegated task. Clearly communicate the expectation, responsibilities,
and timeline. Be sure to ask the employee to share his or her understanding.

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5. Establish a follow up meeting or touch points. The follow up meetings
should be focused on two things - monitoring progress and determining the
need for assistance. The number of follow up meetings will vary based on
the scope of the task or project and whether the employee is new or a long
term member of the department.

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 4.3 Assessing workflow
 A workflow is any process that you put in place to guide a team through a
project or assignment. It’s a central part of project management that allows
everyone to clearly see what must be completed.
 A good workflow should be set up to support and guide a team member
from start to completion of a project. Create project scope statement, that
would also work as a guidance for your team.
 A workflow process can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be.
We always recommend keeping things simple.

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 Keep in mind that each step in a workflow can have one or two sub-
activities that need to be completed:

1. Receive content from the client

2. Implement category pages on the website

a. Implement real content where available

b. Notate areas needing content from the client

3. Send website draft to quality control

a. Make edits if needed

4. Send website to team lead for review

a. Make edits if needed

5. Send to the client for approval

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 4.4 Assisting colleagues of workload

 Helping your colleagues at work is important to maintaining a stable

workplace. Some other benefits to supporting others at work include:

 Morale: Kindness in offering help when needed can improve morale.

 Support: When you support your colleagues, they may be more likely to
support you.

 Leadership; Helping others is an important quality for developing

leadership skills.

 Health: A happy work environment can reduce stress and improve your
health.

 Productivity: When colleagues support each other and work as a team,

they are often able to work more productively.
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4.4.1. Strategies for helping and supporting colleagues at work
• Knowing when and how to offer support to colleagues at work can be a
challenge, but helping others encourages a collaborative work environment.
Here are tips for helping and supporting your colleagues:

1. Communicate often; Communicating with colleagues helps build a

relationship and can inspire teamwork.

2. Recognize their challenges: You can ask how you can be of help when you
see they are dealing with a challenge. Use your own experience to help
recognize when others are struggling. Example: If you notice a colleague is
stressed and working hard to meet a deadline, stop by their desk and ask if
there is anything you can do to help. Listening to their concerns can show
empathy and help them feel less stressed.
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3. Volunteer your time: If you notice a colleague needs help or has a large
workload, offer to help them complete some tasks. Sometimes offering
moral support is enough if you do not have time or are not permitted to
help with their work tasks.

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 4.5 Providing input to management staffing needs
 The staffing function of management consists of few interrelated activities
such as planning of human resource, recruitment, selection, placement,
training and development, remuneration, performance appraisal, promotion
and transfers. All these activities make up the elements of the process of
staffing.
 Staffing is the key to all other managerial functions. It helps to maintain a
satisfactory workforce in an enterprise.

Following are the important steps involved in the process of staffing:

Step # 1. Estimating Manpower Requirements/Manpower Planning:

Step # 2. Recruitment and Selection:

Step # 3. Placement and Orientation:

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Step # 6. Promotion and Career Planning:
Step # 7. Compensation
Relevant personnel in an organization may include:
 Colleagues, Supervisor, Directors, Coordinators and managers
 HRM committees and other people with specialist responsibilities
 Specialist resource managers
 Workers’ representatives
 Other employees

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 Self-check test - 4

Test-I Multiple Choices

Instruction: Choose the correct answer for the give choice. You have given 1
Minute for each question. Each question carries 2 Point.
1. Identify the best definition of planning from the following
A. Devising ways of achieving the objectives of an organization
B. The core activity of planners and planning departments
C. An integrated process in which plans are formulated, carried out and
controlled.
D. Setting an organization’s objectives and the means of reaching them.

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2. Which one strategies helping and supporting colleagues at work
A. Communicate often
B. Ask how your colleagues are feeling
C. Pay attention to what they say
D. All
3. The benefits to supporting others at work include
A. can improve morale
B. can improve morale
C. often able to work more productively
D. All

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4. Why is delegation an important management tool?

A. It helps you to dump your work on someone else.

B. It allows you to get rid of the distasteful tasks & assign to someone else.

C. It is a tool to help you achieve more and develop your people at the same
time.

D. It allows you to punish the smart alecks with so much work they will
never dig out.

5. A manager who is not delegating is not managing. (choose either true or

false)

A. True

B. False
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6. During the Delegating class, your Instructor covered the 8 steps to effective delegation.
Which one of the following choices best describes the “Controls/Follow-up” step?
A. There is backup and moral support
B. As your boss I will have license to micromanage you
C. Use Disc knowledge to temper delegation assignments
D. I will provide you with a schedule of milestones and we will have “check ins” so I
can appraise your progress
7. The first step in Delegating is called “Directions.” In this step the manager
A. Provides a step-by-step list of actions the employee should follow.
B. Provides a clear picture of what “done looks like.”

C. Outlines the negative consequences if the employee fails.

D. Defines the level of authority the employee has in making decision

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 Test II: Short Answer Writing

Instruction: write short answer for the given question. You are provided 3
minute for each question and each point has 5Points
1. Write down the three (3) key methods to assess workflow and progress
during work against agreed objectives and timelines
2. Why manager fail to delegate?
3. Why is it important to help others at work?
4. List down Delegation elements.

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 Test III. Fill in the Blank Space

1. _________ is any process that you put in place to guide a team through a
project or assignment.
2. ___________ is the obligation of a subordinate to perform the duties
assigned to him

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 Reference
Human Resource Operational Plan: LSA HRM2 M01 1122 - Teaching, Training
and Learning Materials (TTLM), published by Ethiopian Ministry of Labor and
Skill, November, 2022 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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