The manager of a garment unit made a detailed production plan for the year. He did not check the progress of work against the plan at any stage. At the end of the year the targets were missed, and nobody knew where things had gone wrong.
Which point about the relationship between planning and controlling does this case show?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Planning without controlling is meaningless.
Option (1) Controlling is blind without planning. — Incorrect. This means control has nothing to check against when there is no plan. Here a detailed plan existed.
Option (2) Planning is prescriptive whereas controlling is evaluative. — Incorrect. This tells what each function does: planning prescribes a course of action and controlling checks the results.
Option (3) Planning based on facts makes controlling easier and effective. — Incorrect. This is about a good plan helping control. In the case there was no control at all.
Option (4) Planning without controlling is meaningless. — Correct. Once a plan is in operation, controlling is needed to monitor progress, discover deviations and correct them. The manager never checked the work, so deviations went unseen and the plan failed.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Relationship between Planning and Controlling Planning and controlling are inseparable twins of management. A system of control presupposes the existence of certain standards. These standards of performance which serve as the basis of controlling are provided by planning. Once a plan becomes operational, controlling is necessary to monitor the progress, measure it, discover deviations and initiate corrective measures to ensure that events conform to plans. Thus, planning without controlling is meaningless. Similarly, controlling is blind without planning. If the standards are not set in advance, managers have nothing to control. When there is no plan, there is no basis of controlling. …” |