Public Administration Optional · Paper I · Administrative Theory

Techniques of Administrative Improvement Notes · PYQs

Free notes and every UPSC previous year question for Techniques of Administrative Improvement, Unit 11 of Paper I: the official syllabus, 2 topic-wise notes in syllabus order, and all 56 questions from 1988 to 2026 grouped by sub-topic.

2

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56

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27

Asked since 2013

1988–2026

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Syllabus Free notes Previous year questions All Public Administration units

Official UPSC syllabus

Techniques of Administrative Improvement: syllabus

The syllabus text as UPSC notifies it for Paper I of Public Administration Optional. Every note and question on this page maps to it.

Organisation and methods, Work study and work management; e-governance and information technology; Management aid tools like network analysis, MIS, PERT, CPM.

Paper I · Unit 11

Techniques of Administrative Improvement notes

Topic-wise notes for this unit in syllabus order, written for UPSC Mains with diagrams, key terms, Indian examples and the previous year questions on each topic.

Free notes

Free practice

Previous year questions: Techniques of Administrative Improvement

All 56 questions UPSC has set from this unit between 1988 and 2026, grouped by syllabus sub-topic and sorted newest first. Questions from 2013 onwards are shown; earlier ones open on a tap.

How often UPSC asks each sub-topic

Sub-topicQuestionsSince 2013Last asked
O&M, MBO1112014
Work study632026
Network analysis, MIS752025
PERT, CPM842026
e-Governance and IT24142026

O&M, MBO

11 questions · 1 since 2013 · last asked 2014
Read the notes: O&M, Work Study and Management Tools

Asked since 2013 · 1

  • 2014Is Peter Drucker justified in saying, “Management principles should not tell us what to do, but only tell us what not to do”? Comment.
Show 10 earlier questions (before 2013)

1991–2011 · 10 questions

  • 2011What are the main functions of an O and M office?
  • 2007Bring out the various techniques of O&M adopt in India to improve efficiency in administration.
  • 2003Examine the needs and facets of administrative reforms in the fast changing scenario of the 21 st century. What are the obstacles to administrative reforms? Give suggestions to overcome them.
  • 1997Bring out the importance of Organization and Methods (O&M). Do you think that there should be a separate O & M organization?
  • 1997“Administrative reforms are induced changes in the machinery of government undertaken in order to bridge the gap between reality and desirability.” Comment.
  • 1996“Whatever is purpose it is true that reform always takes place against ‘resistance’ and that failure to recognise the various sources of opposition, and to plan and to neutralise them, is a major reason for the widespread failure of reform efforts.” Examine.
  • 1994“The entire process of development and nation building hinges on the effectiveness of administrative reforms.” Comment.
  • 1993“Administrative reforms represent efforts, intended to enhance and/or expand the administrative and managerial capacity of Public administration to achieve national objectives or goals.” Elucidate.
  • 1992‘Administrative reform, by its very definition, seeks to apply new ideas to administration and thus entails new values. Comment.
  • 1991‘There are widely different views not only about the context of O and M, but also concerning its relationship with other techniques concerned with improving effectiveness and efficiency. Discuss.

Work study

6 questions · 3 since 2013 · last asked 2026
Read the notes: O&M, Work Study and Management Tools

Asked since 2013 · 3

  • 2026Work study and Work measurement are techniques for improving administrative efficiency. Comment.
  • 2019In the era of increasing stress on productivity, work study provides the road ahead for the administrators. Identify the positive attributes of work study in the light of the statement.
  • 2016“The term ‘work study’ may be used in narrower and wider senses.” Elucidate.
Show 3 earlier questions (before 2013)

1990–2000 · 3 questions

  • 2000Write short note on Work study and work-measurement in Indian Administration.
  • 1998“Work study succeeds because it is systematic in investigating a problem and also in developing a solution for it.” Explain. Also discuss the components of Work Study and their usefulness.
  • 1990Work study comprises all ‘systematic activities concerned with the investigation, recording, measurement and improvement of work.’ Comment.

Network analysis, MIS

7 questions · 5 since 2013 · last asked 2025
Read the notes: O&M, Work Study and Management Tools

Asked since 2013 · 5

  • 2025The efficacy of management aid tools depends on the purpose and appropriateness of tools and techniques. Explain with examples.
  • 2023The ultimate goal of using Management Information System (MIS) is to increase values and Productivity in organizations. Explain.
  • 2021MIS has evolved and gone far beyond its traditional advantages due to technological advancements. Comment.
  • 2019A narrow view of information comes in the way of successful implementation of MIS in organizations. Analyse.
  • 2014“The field of MIS is not necessarily an extension of computer science, but of management and organisation theory.” Elucidate.
Show 2 earlier questions (before 2013)

1988–2012 · 2 questions

  • 2012‘Relations are the building blocks of network analysis’ – In the light of this statement summarize the form and content of relations in ‘network analysis’.
  • 1988There is a need for intimate relation between Generalists, Specialists and the Management Information System (MIS). Comment.

PERT, CPM

8 questions · 4 since 2013 · last asked 2026
Read the notes: O&M, Work Study and Management Tools

Asked since 2013 · 4

  • 2026PERT provides a sophisticated framework for managing temporal uncertainties in large-scale projects. Evaluate the strategic utility and inherent limitations of this technique in complex environments.
  • 2024Critical Path Method (CPM) is a project management technique used to plan and manage project effectively. Discuss.
  • 2015“Comparative Performance Measurement (CPM) bridges everyday work experience with the broader horizons of comparativism.” Explain.
  • 2015“MIS, PERT and CPM have accelerated the process of reinventing O & M.” In the context of the above statement, explain the recent developments in managerial techniques.
Show 4 earlier questions (before 2013)

1988–2012 · 4 questions

  • 2012Trace the background and development of PERT and enumerate the steps involved in the application of PERT.
  • 2012Draw a simple PERT chart for a seminar planning project.
  • 2009“Techniques like PERT and CPM help in effective office management.” Elaborate.
  • 1988Time may be regained as an alternative to reform, as by ‘efflux of time’ remarkable powers may be acquired to resolve conflict. Comment.

e-Governance and IT

24 questions · 14 since 2013 · last asked 2026
Read the notes: E-Governance and Information Technology

Asked since 2013 · 14

  • 2026New communication technology has not only enabled more robust public engagement with the government, but also serves as a new means of internal organizational teamwork. Discuss.
  • 2025E-advocacy model of e-governance can facilitate democratization of public policy making. Discuss.
  • 2024The future of e-governance is shaped by emerging trends for making government services efficient and accessible. Analyse.
  • 2023“Information Communication Technology (ICT) can harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to execute the policies more intelligently creating an efficient and effective Government.” Examine and identify the challenges.
  • 2021ICT has immense potential to transform governance and empower citizens. Examine.
  • 2020“Disruptive nature of developments in Information Technology has changed the contours of e-governance in the last one decade.” Analyse.
  • 2019Has e-governance led to debureaucratization and decentralization? Assess its impact on bureaucratic inertia.
  • 2018To what extent has e-governance made the administrative system more citizen-oriented? Can it (e-governance) be made more participative?
  • 2017“Digitalisation provides great impetus to E-governance”. Discuss.
  • 2016“Information Technology brings efficiency and transparency to Public Administration. “Examine the statement with suitable examples.
  • 2015“E-Governance creates a direct relationship between the Citizen and the State.” In this context, explain the changing role of the elected representatives.
  • 2014“The bottom line for governance outcome rather than the outputs of government.” Analyse in context of e-government and e-governance.
  • 2014“The technical and multidisciplinary nature of e-government has created an interdependent relationship within government between policymakers, program administrators and technical specialists.” Analyse in context of generalist – specialist relationship.
  • 2013The success rate of e-government projects in most developing countries is stated to be rather low. Assess the reason.
Show 10 earlier questions (before 2013)

1989–2012 · 10 questions

  • 2012‘The apparent demise of e-Government and e-Business as the main organizing principles of society has created the conditions for the rise of e-Governance from the ashes’ – In the In the context of the above statement show the distinctions between e-Government and e-Governance.
  • 2011A system of Information ties planning and control by managers to the operational system of implementation. Elaborate.
  • 2011E-governance is the final arrival of Max Weber’s ‘iron cage of rationality’. Discuss.
  • 2010Do you think that is a sort of paradox between e-Governance and good governance? Explain fully.
  • 2008“e-governance has the potentiality to emerge as the most effective instrument of efficiency, transparency and accountability.” Comment.
  • 2006“The rise of information technology is an opportunity to overcome historical disabilities”. Explain.
  • 2005In what ways and how can information technology play a crucial role in effective government-citizen interaction in the context of good governance?
  • 2004What is Information Technology? Describe its impact on Public Administration.
  • 2003“Organisations today seem to information systems, but their investments often do not seem to make sense.” Comment.
  • 1989Do you think that sudden eruption of ‘Information society’ has adapted and accelerated administrative development?

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All question papers Topic-wise PYQ bank (both papers) Topic-wise PYQ post: Techniques of Administrative Improvement 2026 paper 2025 paper 2024 paper 2023 paper

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