What is the process of monitoring comparing correcting performance and taking action to ensure desired results?

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Monitoring and control processes continually track, review, adjust and report on the project’s performance. It’s important to find out how a project’s performing and whether it’s on time, as well as implement approved changes. This ensures the project remains on track, on budget and on time.

What is project control?

According to the PMBOK® Guide (the Project Management Body of Knowledge), project control is a “project management function that involves comparing actual performance with planned performance and taking appropriate corrective action (or directing others to take this action) that will yield the desired outcome in the project when significant differences exist.”

Essentially, project controls are a series of tools that help keep a project on schedule. Combined with people skills and project experience, they deliver information that enables accurate decision making. The project control process mainly focuses on:

• Measuring planned performance vs actual performance.
• Ongoing assessment of the project’s performance to identify any preventive or corrective actions needed.
• Keeping accurate, timely information based on the project’s output and associated documentation.
• Providing information that supports status updates, forecasting and measuring progress.
• Delivering forecasts that update current costs and project schedule.
• Monitoring the implementation of any approved changes or schedule amendments.

Importance of project monitoring and control

Monitoring and control keeps projects on track. The right controls can play a major part in completing projects on time. The data gathered also lets project managers make informed decisions. They can take advantage of opportunities, make changes and avoid crisis management issues.

Put simply, monitoring and control ensures the seamless execution of tasks. This improves productivity and efficiency.

Monitoring and control method

When setting up a project’s monitoring and control process, first establish the project baselines. This includes the scope, schedule and budget. Use this information to benchmark the project’s progress throughout the lifecycle.

Use a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to break a project down into small units of work, or sub-tasks. This makes the work easier to manage and evaluate. This enables easier detection of issues, keeps the project under control and allows for easier progress verification. It also helps prevent team members from feeling overwhelmed.

With a WBS in place, follow this sequence throughout the project’s lifecycle:

Monitoring and control techniques

There are a range of monitoring and control techniques that can be used by project managers, including:

A Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM). This maps, or traces, the project’s requirements to the deliverables. The matrix correlates the relationship between two baseline documents. This makes the project’s tasks more visible. It also prevents new tasks or requirements being added to the project without approval.

This makes the project’s tasks more visible. It also prevents new tasks or requirements being added to the project without approval.

A control chart monitors the project’s quality. There are two basic forms of control chart – a univariate control chart displays one project characteristic, while a multivariate chart displays more than one.

Review and status meetings further analyse problems, finding out why something happened. They can also highlight any issues that might happen later.

Controlling is an important function of management which all the managers are required to perform. In order to contribute towards achievement of organisational objectives, a manager is required to exercise effective control over the activities of his subordinates.

Thus, controlling can be defined as a managerial function to ensure that activities in an organisation are performed according to the plans. Controlling also ensures efficient and effective use of organisational resources for achieving the goals. Hence, it is a goal oriented function.

Often, controlling and management control are considered same. However, there is a vast difference between the two. Controlling is one of the managerial functions while management control can be defined as a process which managers follow to perform the controlling function.

Management control refers to setting of predetermined standards, comparing actual performance with these standards and, if required, taking corrective actions to ensure the achievement of organisational goals.

Definition of controlling

1. Donnell: "Just as a navigator continually takes reading to ensure whether he is relative to a planned action, so should a business manager continually take reading to assure himself that his enterprise is on right course."

2. Phillip Kotler : "control is the process of taking steps to bring actual results and desired results closer together."

3. Harold koontz: "controlling is the measurement and correction of performance in order to make sure that enterprise objectives and the plans devised to attain them are accomplished."

Based on the above definitions the following natures or characteristics of controlling can be presented below

1. Control is a Function of Management:

Actually control is a follow-up action to the other functions of management performed by managers to control the activities assigned to them in the organisation.

2. Control is Based on Planning:

Control is designed to evaluate actual performance against predetermined standards set-up in the organisation. Plans serve as the standards of desired performance. Planning sets the course in the organisation and control ensures action according to the chosen course of action in the organisation.

Unless one knows what he wants to achieve in the organisation, he cannot say whether he has done right or wrong in the organisation. Control is said to be the Last step in management process but really speaking it begins with the setting up a plan in the organisation. Control implies the existence of plans or standards in the organisation.

3. Control is a Dynamic Process:

It involves continuous review of standards of performance and results in corrective action, which may lead to changes in other functions of management.

4. Information is the Guide to Control:

Control depends upon the information regarding actual performance. Accurate and timely availability of feedback is essential for effective control action. An efficient system of reporting is required for a sound control system. This requires continuing monitoring and review of operations.

5. The Essence of Control is Action:

The performance of control is achieved only when corrective action is taken on the basis of feedback information. It is only action, which adjust performance to predetermined standards whenever deviations occur. A good system of control facilities timely action so that there is minimum waste of time and energy.

6. It is a Continuous Activity:

Control is not a one-step process but a continuous process. It involves constant revision and analysis of standards resulting from the deviations between actual and planned performance.

7. Delegation is the key to Control:

An executive can take corrective action only when he has been delegated necessary authority for it. A person has authority to control these functions for which he is directly accountable. Moreover, control becomes necessary when authority is delegated because the delegator remains responsible for the duty. Control standards help a manger expand his span of management.

8. Control Aims at Future:

Control involves the comparison between actual and standards. So corrective action is designed to improve performance in future.

9. Control is a Universal Function of Management:

Control is a basic or primary function of management. Every manager has to exercise control over the subordinates’ performance, no manager can get things done without the process of controlling. Once a plan becomes operational, follow-up action is required to measure progress, to uncover deficiencies and to take corrective actions.

Therefore, control is an essential managerial function at every level. The process of management is incomplete without controlling.

10. Controlling is Positive:

The function of controlling is positive. It is to make things happen i.e. to achieve the goal with instead constraints, or by means of the planned activities. Controlling should never be viewed as being negative in character.

IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING

1. Accomplishing Organisational Goals:

Controlling helps in comparing the actual performance with the predetermined standards, finding out deviation and taking corrective measures to ensure that the activities are performed according to plans. Thus, it helps in achieving organisational goals.

2. Judging Accuracy of Standards:

An efficient control system helps in judging the accuracy of standards. It further helps in reviewing & revising the standards according to the changes in the organisation and the environment.

3. Making Efficient Use of Resources:

Controlling checks the working of employees at each and every stage of operations. Hence, it ensures effective and efficient use of all resources in an organisation with minimum wastage or spoilage.

4. Improving Employee Motivation:

Employees know the standards against which their performance will be judged.

Systematic evaluation of performance and consequent rewards in the form of increment, bonus, promotion etc. motivate the employees to put in their best efforts.

5. Ensuring Order and Discipline:

Controlling ensures a close check on the activities of the employees. Hence, it helps in reducing the dishonest behavior of the employees and in creating order and discipline in an organization.

6. Facilitating Coordination in Action :

Controlling helps in providing a common direction to the all the activities of different departments and efforts of individuals for attaining the organizational objectives.

7. Psychological pressure:

control pressure puts a psychological on the individuals to perform better. Their performance is evaluated with the targets set for them. Everyone is likely to put on their best performance as they are aware that it will be. Evaluated. They may also have a pressure to achieve the results according to the standards fixed for them

8. corporate image :

controlling functions helps to improve the overall performance of the organization progress in the business is measured in terms of planned standards-band actual performance, if there is any deviation then corrective measures are applied and desired results can be achieved. This builds a good corporate image and brings goodwill for the business.

9. Managerial responsibility :

managerial responsibility is created through assignment of activities to various individuals. This process starts at the top level and goes to the lower level. A manager assigns some activities to his subordinates and controls them.