Student Control

Controlling:

The process of measuring performance and taking action to ensure desired results.

Importance of Controlling

The purpose of controlling is to make sure that plans are fulfilled and that actual performance meets or surpasses objectives. Controlling sees to it that the right things happen in the right way and at the right time. It helps ensure that the performance contributions of individuals and groups are consistent with organizational plans. It helps that the performance accomplishments throughout an organization are consistent with one another in means-ends fashion. And it helps ensure that people comply with organizational policies and procedures.

Steps in the Control Process

„X Cybernetic control system is self-contained in its performance-monitoring and correction capabilities

Step 1ÐŽXestablish objectives and standards

Performance objective should represent key results that one want to accomplish. The focus on planning should be on describing ÐŽ§criticalЎЁ or ÐŽ§essentialЎЁ results that will make a substantial difference in the success of the organization. The standards are important too and they must be considered right from the beginning.

Two types of standards:

„X Output standards-measure performance results in terms of outcomes like quantity, quality, cost, or time of accomplished work.

„X Input standards-measure effort in terms of the amount of work expended in task performance. They are used in situations where outputs are difficult or expensive to measure.

Step 2ÐŽXmeasure actual performance

The goal is to accurately measure the performance results and or the performance efforts. The measurement must be accurate enough to spot significant differences between what is really taking place and what was originally planned.

Step 3ÐŽXcompare results with objective and standards

This can be expressed as the following control equation: Need for Action=Desired Performance ÐŽV Actual Performance

There are different ways to compare desired and actual performance:

„X Historical comparison uses past performance as a benchmark for evaluating current performance

„X Relative comparison uses the performance achievements or other persons, work units, or organizations as the evaluation standard.

„X Engineering comparison uses engineered standards set scientifically through such methods as time and motion studies.

Step 4ÐŽXtake corrective action as needed

This process can be applied to personal planning as well.

This step is to take any action necessary to correct or improve things and it allows for a judicious use of management by exception the practice of giving priority attention to situations that show the greatest need for actions. This approach can save valuable time, energy, and other resources, while allowing all efforts to be concentrated on the areas of greatest need. Two types of exceptions may be encountered:

„X Problem situation in which actual performance is below standard. Corrective action is required to restore performance to the desired level.

„X Opportunity situation in which actual performance is above the standard. Actions should be taken to continue this higher level of accomplishment in the future.

Management by exception focuses managerial attention on substantial differences between actual and desired performance.

An after-action review formally reviews results to identify lessons learned in a complete project, task, force, or special operation.

Types of Controls

Three major types:

„X Feedforward ensure that directions and resources are right before the works begin. Also called preliminary controls, are accomplished before a work activity begins. They ensure that objectives are clear, proper directions are established, and that the right resources are available to accomplish them. They are designed to eliminate the potential for problems later on in the process by asking an important but often-neglected question: ÐŽ§What needs to be done before we begin?ЎЁ this is a forward-thinking and proactive approach to control rather than a reactive and defensive.

„X Concurrent focus on what happens during the work process and sometimes called steering controls. They monitor ongoing operation and activities to make sure things are being done according to plan. They also allow corrective actions to be taken before a task is completed. The key question is ÐŽ§what can we do to improve things before we finish?ЎЁ the focus is on quality of task activities during the work process. This approach to control can reduce waste in the form of unacceptable finished products or services.

„X Feedback takes place after an action is completed and also called postaction controls.