Definition (1):
Management efforts designed to assess whether the overall strategy should be changed in light of results associated with the incremental actions that implemented the overall strategy. These are usually associated with specific strategic thrusts or projects and with predetermined milestone reviews.
Definition (2):
"Implementation control is designed to assess whether the overall strategy should be changed in light of unfolding events and results associated with incremental steps and actions that implement the overall strategy."
Definition (3):
Implementation control is targeted at determining whether the programs, policies, and plans are actually guiding the company towards its predetermined goals and objectives or not.
If the resources that are committed to a project at any time would not benefit the company as anticipated, corrective measures should be taken immediately. The two-basis types of implementation control are as follows:
- Monitoring strategic projects or thrusts (key or new strategic programs): Two approaches can be applied in monitoring strategic projects or thrusts- a) one way is agreeing early in the process of planning on which thrusts are important factors in the strategy’s or the thrust’s success. b) The other approach is to apply stop/go assessments connected to a meaningful thresholds’ series (costs, time, research & development, success, failure, etc.) related to specific thrusts.
- Milestone Reviews: Milestones are important points in a program’s development like points where resources’ large commitments must be made.