What are the four functions of management?

• A. Planning, Organizing, Controlling, and Evaluating
• B. Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling
• C. Assessing, Directing, Coordinating, and Monitoring
• D. Forecasting, Directing, Budgeting, and Controlling

Answer: (B)

The four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Planning involves setting goals and deciding in advance what steps to take, when, and by whom. Organizing is about arranging resources—people, equipment, and information—and establishing the structure of roles and authority to carry out the plan. Leading focuses on guiding and motivating people, communicating effectively, and keeping teams aligned with the goal. Controlling means monitoring progress, comparing results to standards, and taking corrective action to stay on track or improve performance.

In the fire service, this shows up as developing an incident action plan (planning), assigning crews and resources and establishing the command structure (organizing), directing crews on scene and maintaining clear, decisive leadership (leading), and reviewing performance and safety measures to adjust tactics as needed (controlling).

Other options don’t fit because they mix or replace these core functions with terms that aren’t part of the standard four. Evaluating or budgeting, for example, aren’t listed as separate functions in the classic framework, and while some terms overlap with planning or leading, they don’t capture the full and recognized sequence of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.