Control (नियन्त्रण) is the management function of checking whether work is going as planned and correcting it if it is not. Planning sets the targets; control makes sure the targets are met. For coordination, see Communication and Coordination in Management.
1. Meaning
- Henri Fayol: control means checking whether everything happens according to the plan, instructions and principles, to find weaknesses and errors and correct them.
- Control is forward-looking too: it prevents future mistakes, not only punishes past ones.
2. Need and importance
- Ensures that goals and plans are achieved.
- Makes the best use of resources (money, time, people) and prevents waste.
- Keeps discipline and accountability in the office.
- Finds problems early so they can be fixed.
- Helps coordination, because all units work towards the same standards.
- In government, it protects public money and builds public trust.
3. Process of control
- Set standards: clear targets in quantity, quality, time and cost.
- Measure actual performance: through reports, inspection and data.
- Compare actual performance with the standards.
- Find deviations and their causes.
- Take corrective action: change methods, retrain staff, revise plans or standards.
4. Types of control
| Basis | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| — | — | — |
| Time | Feed-forward (pre-control) | Prevents problems before work starts, for example checking inputs |
| Time | Concurrent (steering) control | Checks while work is in progress |
| Time | Feedback (post-control) | Checks after work is done, for example audit |
| Source | Internal control | By the organisation itself (supervision, internal audit) |
| Source | External control | By outside bodies (parliament, courts, Auditor General, CIAA, media, citizens) |
Control over public administration in Nepal:
- Legislative control: parliament, its committees, budget approval, questions.
- Executive control: ministers, Cabinet, OPMCM, supervising ministries.
- Judicial control: courts reviewing illegal administrative decisions (writ jurisdiction).
- Constitutional bodies: Auditor General (audit), CIAA (abuse of authority).
- Popular control: media, civil society, public hearing, social audit, Right to Information.
5. Techniques of control
- Budgetary control: spending checked against the approved budget.
- Inspection and supervision: visits and checks by seniors.
- Reports and records: monthly and annual progress reports.
- Audit: internal and final audit.
- Performance evaluation of employees.
- Modern techniques: MIS, Gantt chart, PERT/CPM, Management by Objectives (MBO), performance contracts and results frameworks.
6. Characteristics of good control
- Simple, timely and economical.
- Focused on key points (critical control points).
- Flexible and objective.
- Leads to corrective action, not only fault-finding.
7. Control and coordination
- Coordination (समन्वय) brings the efforts of different people and units together towards common goals.
- Control checks performance against standards; coordination keeps the work of units in harmony.
- Both need communication; good coordination reduces the need for strict control.
8. Example: control in a government office
A municipality plans to repair 20 km of rural road in a year. It sets monthly targets (standard), checks progress reports and site visits (measurement), finds only 6 km done by mid-year (deviation), learns that the contractor lacked equipment (cause) and issues a notice with a new work schedule (correction). This is the full control cycle in action.
9. Control in Nepal’s public sector
| Type | Examples in Nepal |
|---|---|
| Internal | Supervision, internal audit, performance evaluation |
| Legislative | Parliamentary committees, budget approval, questions to ministers |
| Judicial | Writ petitions, Administrative Court |
| Constitutional bodies | Auditor General, CIAA |
| Popular | Media, public hearing, social audit, RTI requests |
10. How this topic is asked in the exam
Objective questions ask the steps of the control process, types such as feed-forward and feedback control, and techniques like PERT, CPM and budgetary control. Subjective questions ask about the need for control and its link with coordination. Use a government example to show each step.
📌 Key points to remember
- Control = checking that work follows the plan and correcting deviations.
- Process: set standards → measure → compare → find deviation → correct.
- By time: feed-forward, concurrent, feedback. By source: internal and external.
- External control in Nepal: parliament, courts, Auditor General, CIAA, media and citizens.
- Techniques: budgetary control, inspection, reports, audit, MIS, PERT/CPM, MBO.
Test yourself: Control in Management
50 questions on Meaning, Types of control and Control and coordination. Each attempt picks 25 at random.