Controlling function of an organisation is............

Both forward and backward looking

It is often said that planning is looking ahead while controlling is looking back. However, the statement is only partially correct. Plans are prepared for future and are based on forecasts about future conditions. Therefore, planning involves looking ahead and is called a forward-looking function. On the contrary, controlling is like a postmortem of past activities to find out deviations from the standards. In that sense, controlling is a backwardlooking function. However, it should be understood that planning is guided by past experiences and the corrective action initiated by control function aims to improve future performance. Thus, planning and controlling are both backward-looking as well as a forward-looking function. Thus, planning and controlling are interrelated and, in fact, reinforce each other in the sense that-
1. Planning based on facts makes controlling easier and effective.
2. Controlling improves future planning by providing information derived from past experience.