STEPS TO EFFECTIVE CONTROL

Military Requirements for Senior and Master Chief Petty Officer
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Figure 4-3.-Steps to effective control. STEPS TO EFFECTIVE CONTROL The steps to effective control closely resemble planning and organizing steps. See figure 4-3. The following are the four basic steps to controlling: 1. 2. 3. 4. Set standards Define Performance monitoring procedures Evaluate Performance against standards Initiate corrective action Set Standards To establish control over a process, you must first decide what standards you will use for reference points. Standards define the goals of your efforts. They express recruiting targets, quality control goals, budget goals, or flight schedules. These are quantitative standards: 14 recruits a month, zero defects, 10 percent spending reduction, or all aircraft full mission capable (FMC) for a sortie. Other standards involve qualitative goals: sharp uniforms, fair selection boards, or improved morale. Qualitative standards are much more difficult to define and control than quantitative standards. Define Performance Monitoring Procedures The next step in achieving control is deciding how to measure performance, what information to require, and how to obtain it. Performance data maybe gathered from personal observation, written and oral reports, inspections, and automatic data processing (ADP) products. Keep control procedures as simple and cost-effective as possible. Ensure, however, that they are adequate for the task at hand. Evaluate Performance Against Standards Compare performance data to established standards. The results of this comparison indicate where you are in relation to your goals. If everything is on track, take a bow. If things are beginning to stray off course or come unraveled, decide whether or not to take corrective action. Initiate Corrective action If performance standards are not being met, you should start corrective action. Examine your monitoring system; is it accurate? Do performance standards accurately reflect mission requirements? Are your standards too high or too low? If your monitoring methods and standards are adequate, examine the production methods and work force factors (morale, leadership, and so forth). Can production efficiency and effectiveness be improved? Is training up to speed? Do leadership and supervisory ability meet your standards? How about morale and environmental conditions. Another possibility is poor planning or organization. You must go to work and get things moving in the right direction again. After all, that is what managers do! EVALUATING YOUR CONTROLS Most commands have four key areas of control: financial, inventory, quantity, and quality. Use the following criteria to evaluate your command’s controls: Timeliness–Controls must provide timely detection and correction of problems to minimize wasted time and resources. Accuracy–Accurate monitoring procedures allow you to pinpoint potential problems for correction. Acceptability–Controls must be reasonable. Unnecessarily stringent controls generate resistance within the work force. When workers feel there is no trust or fail to understand the need for controls, they may circumvent the system. You are no doubt familiar with the term gundecking. You may even know someone who has been guilty of gundecking. 4-14

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