Odisha CHSE +2 Vocational Office Management cheat sheet

Office Management (CHSE Odisha +2 Vocational)

• Office management is the process of planning, organising, staffing, directing, coordinating and controlling office work so that information flows accurately and on time.

• Centralisation of office services concentrates typing, filing, mailing and records in one department; decentralisation places these services with the operating departments that use them.

• Span of control: the number of subordinates a supervisor can effectively direct; narrow spans create tall hierarchies, wide spans create flat ones.

• Delegation has three inseparable elements - assignment of responsibility, grant of authority, and creation of accountability; authority may be delegated but accountability cannot.

• Coordination is achieved through standing committees, office manuals, standard forms and schedules rather than through informal personal contact alone.

• Office layout principles: straight-line flow of work, minimum movement of staff and files, adequate lighting and ventilation, and provision for future expansion.

• A well-designed form reduces clerical cost; form design rules include a logical sequence of entries, single use per form, and pre-printed standard headings.

• Records retention schedule classifies records as permanent, long-term or short-term; destruction of records requires authorisation and an entry in the destruction register.

• Measurement of office efficiency uses work measurement, time study, cost per unit of output and periodic office audits.