Industrial Management full-syllabus mnemonic cheat sheet — every topic with a story hook and memory device

Management Planning Organizing Directing Motivation Controlling Staffing/HRP Appraisals
The master story — one character, whole syllabus
RAJ is a new factory manager. Every morning he Plans his day, Organises his team, Staffs open roles, Directs everyone, then checks results with Control. His workers need Motivation. His boss judges him by Appraisals. That is the whole syllabus — one day in Raj's life.
1
Management — concepts, levels, functions, skills
5 functions of management
POSDC
Planning Organising Staffing Directing Controlling
Raj's daily routine: "Please Open Some Decent Cupboards" — he opens five cupboards each morning, one for each function.
3 levels of management
TML
Top → CEO/MD Middle → Managers Lower → Supervisors
"The Manager Leads" — authority shrinks as you go down, responsibility grows.
3 types of skills
TCH
Technical Conceptual Human
"Top Commanders Humanise" — Top level needs Conceptual most, Lower needs Technical most, Human is needed equally at all levels.
7 features of management
DC SGA MU
Dynamic Continuous Scientific Goal-oriented Art of coordination Multidisciplinary Universal
"During COVID, Schools Got A Massive Upgrade" — COVID forced dynamic, continuous, scientific, goal-oriented, coordinated, multidisciplinary, universal change. That sentence is the story you remember.
2
Planning — types, process, premises
4 types of plans
STOC
Strategic (top, 3–10 yr) Tactical (middle, 1 yr) Operational (lower, daily) Contingency (backup)
Raj's general "Sets The Office Clock" — Strategic vision sets direction, Tactical translates it, Operational runs the clock daily, Contingency is the backup battery.
8-step planning process
PEP AI CFS
Perception of opportunity   Establish objectives   Planning premises   Alternatives identified   Inspect/evaluate alternatives   Choice of alternative   Formulate supporting plans   Sequence of activities
Raj sees a business opportunity (P), sets a goal (E), checks assumptions (P), lists options (AI), picks the best (C), makes sub-plans (F), then schedules steps (S). "Raj's Plan Always Inspires Customers For Success."
Planning premises (2 types)
IE
Internal: policies, budget, staff External: market, govt, competition
"Inside the factory wall = Internal. Everything beyond the wall = External."
Premises controllability
CSN
Controllable (internal decisions) Semi-controllable (market share) Non-controllable (war, disaster)
"Can Somewhat, Never" — you CAN control your budget, you SOMEWHAT control market share, you can NEVER control a flood.
3
Organising — structure, authority, responsibility
5 steps of organising
IGADC
Identify activities Group similar activities Assign duties Delegate authority Coordinate
"I Group All Duties Carefully" — Raj first lists every task, groups them, assigns them, gives power, then holds morning sync.
4 org structures
FDPM
Functional (by dept: Sales, IT, Finance) Divisional (mini-companies by product/region) Process (R&D → Dev → Sales chain) Matrix (dual boss)
"Four Different People Manage" — imagine four different kinds of factory layouts. Matrix is special: you have TWO bosses (functional + project).
Authority
Power to give orders. DELEGATED downward.
Raj's badge = authority.
Responsibility
Duty to do the task. Can be SHARED.
Workers share responsibility for output.
Accountability
Answering for the outcome. CANNOT be shared — always individual.
Only Raj answers to the CEO.
Quick story hook
"Raj's Authority lets him assign Responsibility — but only he carries Accountability." ARA — Authority gives, Responsibility does, Accountability owns. Authority can be passed. Responsibility can be shared. Accountability stops with ONE person.
4
Directing — principles, leadership styles & traits
4 elements of directing
SMLC
Supervision Motivation Leadership Communication
"Some Managers Lead Clearly" — Raj supervises, motivates, leads, and communicates. Remove any one and direction collapses.
10 principles of direction
HUD AMIC FMF
Harmony of objectives   Unity of command   Direct supervision   Appropriate leadership   Maximum individual contribution   Info flow   Communication   Follow-up   Motivation   Flow (control)
"Raj Huddles All Morning In Conference For Maximum Flow" — picture Raj's 10-point morning huddle checklist pinned to the wall.
4 leadership styles
ADLV
Authoritarian — alone, crisis, quick decisions   Democratic — team involved, creative work   Laissez-faire — full freedom, skilled team   Visionary — bold future, transformation
"A Dog Loves Variety" — in a crisis the dog (boss) barks orders (Authoritarian); in normal times the team votes (Democratic); when all are experts, the dog naps (Laissez-faire); when the dog has a big dream, it runs ahead (Visionary).
8 traits of a leader
EMCOD EHF
Easy to work with   Mission/vision/goals   Committed to self-improvement   Organisational skills   Delegates well   Excellent interpersonal skills   Humour   Facilitates teamwork
"Every Manager Creates Outstanding Departments Especially Helping Fun" — a great leader has all 8 traits; missing one is fine, missing most means poor leadership.
5
Motivation — 4 theories
The 4-theory story
Think of 4 scientists in a room arguing about WHY people work hard. Maslow says "they climb a ladder of needs." Herzberg says "wrong — fix hygiene first, then motivate." Alderfer says "Maslow is too rigid, my 3 ERG groups overlap." Vroom says "forget needs — people calculate: E × I × V."
Maslow — 5 needs (bottom to top)
PSLE Self
Physiological → Safety → Love & Belonging → Esteem → Self-actualisation
"Please Stay, Love Expands Self" — a worker first needs a paycheck (P), then job security (S), then friends at work (L), then recognition (E), then creative freedom (Self). You cannot skip levels.
Herzberg — hygiene factors (7)
PJFWSIC
Pay Job security Fringe benefits Working conditions Status Interpersonal relations Company policies
"Poor Jobs Feel Worse, So Improve Conditions" — these prevent pain but don't create joy.
Herzberg — motivators (5)
RAGRM
Recognition Achievement Growth Responsibility Meaningful work
"Raj Always Gets Rewarded Meaningfully" — these create real satisfaction.
Alderfer ERG — 3 groups
ERG
Existence (food, salary, safety) = Maslow's bottom 2   Relatedness (social, acceptance) = Maslow's middle   Growth (development, achievement) = Maslow's top 2
ERG compresses Maslow's 5 floors into 3 floors. Key extra rule: if you can't reach the top floor, you fall back and cling harder to the lower floor — called frustration-regression. Maslow has no such rule.
Vroom Expectancy — formula + 3 links
M = E × I × V
Expectancy — will effort → better performance?
Instrumentality — will performance → reward?
Valence — do I value that reward?
"Raj Expects a Bonus (E), Believes it will come if he performs (I), and actually wants the bonus (V)." If any one of these is zero — motivation = zero. Like a chain: one broken link and the whole thing snaps.
Quick compare hook
Maslow = ladder (one rung at a time). Herzberg = two buckets (hygiene bucket + motivator bucket). Alderfer = compressed ladder with a slide back down. Vroom = multiplication (all three must be non-zero).
6
Controlling — types & process
3 types of control
FFC
Feed-forward — before (anticipates) Feedback — after (post-action) Concurrent — during (real-time)
"Before, During, After — BDA, but remember it as FFC." Feed-forward is the weather forecast before rain. Concurrent is an umbrella mid-rain. Feedback is drying off after getting wet. Raj uses all three every day.
5-step controlling process
SMCAC
Set standards Measure actual performance Compare with standards Analyse deviations Corrective action
"Raj Sets Monday's Checklist And Corrects" — he sets a target (S), measures output (M), compares (C), finds the gap (A), then fixes it (C). If deviation is within limits → no action needed. Only big deviations need correction.
7
Staffing & HRP
Staffing process — 8 steps
MR SOTRPP
Manpower planning   Recruitment   Selection   Orientation & placement   Training & development   Remuneration   Performance evaluation   Promotion & transfer
"Mr. Raj Selects Only The Right People for Promotion" — the sentence itself is the story and the mnemonic. Each word's first letter maps to a step.
HRP process — 5 steps
ADSMA
Assess current HR Demand forecasting Supply forecasting Match demand and supply Action plan
"Raj Always Demands Skilled, Matching Applicants" — he first sees who he has (A), predicts who he'll need (D), checks who's available (S), balances both (M), then acts (A). If shortage → recruit. If surplus → transfer or retrain.
8
Performance appraisal — 6 methods
6 methods — master mnemonic
CRM MA3
Critical Incident Ranking MBO Matrix Paired comparison Assessment Centers 360 Degree
"Can Raj Measure My Amazing 360-degree performance?" — one question, six methods locked in.
Critical Incident
Record specific good/bad events + assign scores. Real behavior, not opinion.
Like a diary of memorable moments — only the extreme ones count.
Ranking Method
Boss ranks best to worst. Simple. No explanation of why.
Like a class rank — position 1 to N, no justification needed.
Paired Comparison
Every employee vs every other. Formula: N×(N-1)/2
4 people = 6 fights. Like a round-robin tournament.
MBO
Manager + employee set SMART goals together. Evaluate on results. Drucker, 1954.
Both coach and player agree on the target before the game.
Assessment Centers
Simulate real work (role play, group tasks). Trained observers score behavior. USA/UK, 1943.
Like an audition — you perform, judges score. High accuracy.
360-Degree Feedback
Boss + peers + subordinates + customers all give feedback.
A full circle of mirrors — you see yourself from every angle. Balanced but may be biased.
One-page recall strip — cover everything in 60 seconds
Functions: POSDC  |  Levels: TML  |  Skills: TCH  |  Features: DC SGA MU
Plan types: STOC  |  Planning steps: PEP AI CFS  |  Premises: IE + CSN
Org steps: IGADC  |  Structures: FDPM  |  ARA: Authority gives, Responsibility does, Accountability owns
Direction elements: SMLC  |  Leadership styles: ADLV (A Dog Loves Variety)  |  Leader traits: EMCOD EHF
Maslow: PSLE Self (ladder, no skipping)  |  Herzberg hygiene: PJFWSIC  |  Motivators: RAGRM
ERG: Existence + Relatedness + Growth (can overlap + slide back)  |  Vroom: M = E × I × V (chain — any zero = no motivation)
Control types: FFC (before/during/after)  |  Control steps: SMCAC
Staffing steps: Mr. Raj Selects Only The Right People for Promotion  |  HRP steps: ADSMA
Appraisals: Can Raj Measure My Amazing 360?