When it comes to giving management tips or advice, anyone who's had some success considers himself or herself an expert on the subject. We all learn from our successes and failures and, if we're smart, recognize and build on those things that worked and avoid repeating those things that did not. Here are some things I've learned and observed in my career in electronics manufacturing and operations. Some have been learned the hard way; most are bedrock principles of good management and deserve repeating.

This is Part 1 of a two-part article. It is written in a dictionary style intended to provide a quick overview of basic management responsibilities and directives we all need to review and rethink once in a while.

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Accountability - assign it
Establishing a culture of ownership and accountability is a fundamental responsibility of management. The "Who's on first?" syndrome - not being sure of who is responsible for a task or when to expect completion - is simply not acceptable. Accountability must be established right at the start and ownership maintained (and tracked if it changes) right through project completion or problem resolution. It is equally important that other team members know who is responsible for a task or project. Don't initiate a project without a clear assignment and acknowledgement of responsibilities and accountabilities. Don't leave a meeting without making sure a set of meeting notes will be distributed that records action items and responsibilities.

Action - do it
Identify the problem or challenge, think things out, weigh the pros and cons, get input from others, and then act decisively. As a leader, you need to gather input from all sources, review the options for and against, and then confidently deliver a plan of action. Searching for the "best" solution is the goal, but certainly not at the expense of delaying action by getting bound up in a state of analysis paralysis. Perfection is nice and something we should all strive for, but perfection is not always needed nor attainable at reasonable cost and time. Exercise the "art of compromise" and follow up with a decisive plan of action. An imperfect, yet acceptable and well thought out plan is better than a "perfect" but unrealizable plan. A plan is just a plan; it can and needs to change if the situation warrants, but throughout, decisive (pro-) action is needed.