“Planning with out controlling is meaningless and controlling is aimless without planning”. Discuss.

Planning and controlling are closely interrelated functions of management. On one hand, planning decides the objectives to be achieved and the course of action to be followed. On the other hand, controlling is the process of evaluating the work done in accordance with the standards and taking corrective measures. These standards that form the basis of controlling are provided by planning. Controlling without planning is meaningless. If there are no standards and no objectives, there is nothing to control. Similarly, planning without controlling holds no meaning. Once the plans are formulated, it becomes necessary to monitor and evaluate whether the performance is as per the desired plans. Controlling is a requisite for measuring whether the plan is being properly implemented, if there are any deficiencies in the work and if there is a need for taking corrective actions in order to achieve the planned goals. If there is no controlling, planning cannot be accomplished. Thereby, planning without controlling is of no use. Thus, it can be said that both planning and controlling complement each other.