Here, we’ll step you through the control process.
Step One: Determine the areas you need to control
Decide which areas you are going to control. You need make a choice because:
- controls can be expensive to implement
- it is nearly impossible to control everything
- staff may not like having their every move controlled.
Starting with the vision, goals and strategies for the organisation, ask: ‘What are the most important things that I must control to help the organisation achieve its goals?’
Most control efforts are directed at one or more of the following areas:
- quality
- finances and budgets
- operations
- information and documents
- organisational performance issues
- access and security.
Step Two: Determine the control measures you are going to use
Then, taking each of your areas in turn, set the control measures.
example
For example, a restaurant manager might decide that two areas needing control are food quality and order filling (an area of ‘operations’). The manager might decide to use the following measures for these areas:
Key area measures
- Food quality
• Freshness of ingredients
• Temperature at serving
• Appearance on plate
• Client feedback
- Order filling
• Correct meal order
• Right table, timing
• All menu options available
Step Three: Determine standards
Next, set the standard for each measure. (This is the feed forward control step.)
example
Using the restaurant example, the standards might be as follows:
Key area control measure standard
- Food quality
• Freshness of ingredients: All fresh ingredients no older than 2 days, all frozens no older than 6 months
• Temperature on serving: All meals to be served on plates warmed for 10 minutes
• Appearance on plate: Meals to be arranged on plate as per relevant wall/folder photos
• Client feedback: Feedback on food quality to be sought verbally from alldiners
- Order-filling
• Correct meal order filled: 100% accuracy
• Right table, timing 100% accuracy: Meals to be served within 25 minutes of order being placed
• All menu items available: 95% availability
Step Four: Determine appropriate measuring points and mechanisms
The final step is to decide when and howyou are going to measure. This includes:
- the frequency of measuring the control
- how it will be reported
- who will be responsible for reporting on the control.
example
In the restaurant, the freshness of ingredients might be checked every day by the head chef. The chef might test for crispness, taste and appearance, and check ‘use by’ dates.
[ back to top ]
