Cost-effectivenessControls consume money
and man-hours. Unless a control system will save more
than it costs to implement, look elsewhere for a solution.
As you apply these principles of control, you must
consider the time frame in which your controls operate.
Controls operate in three modes in relation to time:
feedforward, concurrent, and feedback.
Feedforward controlThis control, the most
dynamic of the three, is designed to discover problems
before they occur. Drawbacks to feedforward control are
the heavy investment of time and the detailed
management required to make this system work. A
maintenance manager who adjusts leave and liberty
schedules to meet anticipated workloads is practicing
Concurrent controlThis type of control effects
corrections as they are needed. It does not predict them.
When the process under control deviates from
acceptable limits, concurrent control steps in and
corrects problems as they occur. When you walk, you
constantly monitor your stride and balance to avoid
falling. This is concurrent control.
Feedback controlFeedback control fixes a
problem after the fact. For instance, a defense
contractor who discovers during final testing that a
component has a defective design must scrap the
production run and fix the problem. The contractor may
lose money on that one production run, but that is better
than a congressional investigation for sending defective
parts to the fleet.
There are as many ways of attaining control as there
Even standard control methods are
personalized by individual managers to suit personal
inclinations and individual situations.
METHODS OF CONTROL
Control techniques or methods are generally
described as either quantitative or nonquantitative.
Quantitative methods use data and various
quantitative tools to monitor and control production
output. Two common quantitative tools are budgets and
audits. By far the most widely recognized quantitative
tool is the chart. Charts used as control tools normally
contrast time and performance. The visual impact of a
chart often provides the quickest method of relating
data. A difference in numbers is much more noticeable
when displayed graphically. Most charts are versions of
either the Gantt chart or the Program Evaluation and
Review Technique (PERT).
BUDGETS. By far the best known control device
is the budget. Budgets and control are, in fact,
synonymous. An organizations budget is an expression
in financial terms of a plan for meeting the
organizations goals for a specific period. A budget is an
instrument of planning, management, and control. We
use budgets in two ways. First, we use them as
established facts that must be factored into our
operational planning. Second, we use them to prepare
narrative descriptions and financial information that our
chain of command uses in its annual request and
management of its funds. At present, the Department of
the Navy (DON) uses two major budget systems. These
are zero-based budgeting (ZBB) and the planning,
programming, and budgeting system (PPBS).
AUDITS. Internal auditing provides an
independent review and appraisal of accounting,
financial, and other nontactical operations. As a
management tool, the audit measures and evaluates the
effectiveness of management controls. The Naval Audit
Service provides an independent audit of programs,
activities, systems, and procedures. It also provides an
independent audit of other operations involving the use
of funds and resources and the accomplishment of
management goals. Budgets and audits are addressed in
detail in Financial Management in the Navy,
Nonquantitative methods refer to total or overall
control of performance rather than specific processes.
These methods use tools such as inspections, reports,
evaluation/counseling to accomplish goals.
TOTAL QUALITY LEADERSHIP
The DON has recently adopted the concept of Total
Quality Leadership (TQL) as the means of meeting
DON needs into the 21st century. Executive Order
12637, signed April 27, 1988, establishes the
Productivity Improvement Program for the federal
government. TQL IS THE NAVYS ANSWER TO
The concept behind TQL revolves around a change
from leadership by results to leadership by process
(quality) improvement. The managers task is to
continually improve each and every process in his or her