Definition: What is controlling?

Controlling is a sub-area of corporate management and comprises the planning, management and control of all areas of the company. Controllers collect, analyze and prepare information. In this way, they create a basis for management decisions. They use target/actual comparisons to continuously monitor whether the set targets have been achieved. In the event of deviations, they develop measures to take countermeasures.

Modern controlling is also future-oriented. It supports management with forecasts and scenarios for the strategic orientation of the company. In this way, it helps to secure and increase the company’s success in the long term.

What benefits does controlling offer companies?

Create transparency

Controlling makes the performance and success of a company measurable. It shows in which areas the targets set have been achieved and where there is room for improvement. In this way, it creates transparency for managers and employees.

Support decisions

Controllers prepare information in such a way that managers can make the right decisions. They show options for action and their consequences. They also support long-term, strategic decisions with forecasts and scenarios.

Read also: Using ERP data to make better decisions

Recognize risks early

Controlling works like an early warning system: by constantly comparing actual and target figures, it recognizes deviations from plan and undesirable developments at an early stage. This allows countermeasures to be taken in good time before damage occurs.

Optimal use of resources

Controlling helps to use the available resources efficiently. It reveals where resources are being wasted and shows potential savings. In this way, it helps to increase productivity and reduce costs.

Achieve goals

Controlling translates the company’s goals into measurable parameters and reviews them continuously. It makes successes visible and motivates employees to give their best. In this way, it plays a key role in ensuring that companies achieve their short and long-term goals.

Securing competitiveness

In a dynamic market environment, controlling acts like a compass. It enables companies to react quickly to changes. This enables them to defend and expand their competitive advantages.

Comparison: Operational and strategic controlling

Controlling can be divided into two levels: operational and strategic controlling. Both are important, but have different focuses and time horizons.

Operational controlling is concerned with the ongoing management of the company. It has a short-term focus, usually on the current financial year. Its main tasks include

  • Budgeting and cost control
  • Target/actual comparisons and variance analyses
  • Reporting and provision of information for day-to-day business
  • Optimization of processes and use of resources
  • Securing liquidity and working capital management

Strategic controlling, on the other hand, has a long-term horizon. It supports the company management in aligning the company to future challenges. Its core tasks are

  • Development and review of the corporate strategy
  • Identification of opportunities and risks in the corporate environment
  • Carrying out market and competition analyses (e.g. benchmarking)
  • Evaluation of investments and projects
  • Creation of long-term plans and scenarios
  • Strategic reporting to management and investors

While operational controlling tends to focus on the past and the present, strategic controlling looks to the future. It is less about the question “Are we doing things right?” and more about “Are we doing the right things?”.

Despite these differences, the two levels are closely interlinked. Strategic controlling sets the long-term direction, which is then implemented and monitored by operational controlling. Conversely, operational controlling provides strategic controlling with important information about the company’s current situation. In practice, the boundaries are often blurred. Many controllers are equally involved in both areas.

The 5 areas of responsibility of controlling

Planning

Controllers draw up plans for all areas of the company, from sales and production to personnel. In doing so, they ensure that the plans are realistic, consistent and aligned with the company’s objectives.

Control system

Once the plans have been drawn up, their implementation must be managed. Controllers use tools such as budgets, key figures and target agreements for this purpose. They regularly inform those responsible about the degree to which targets have been achieved and, if necessary, provide impetus for corrective measures. In this way, they ensure that the company stays on course.

Control

Controllers continuously monitor the results and compare them with the plans. They analyze deviations and investigate the causes. The aim is not to find the culprits, but to identify and leverage potential for improvement. The insights gained are in turn incorporated into planning.

Information supply

Controlling collects, checks and consolidates data from all areas. The controllers use this data to prepare reports and analyses for the needs of decision-makers on a regular basis or on request.

Advice to the management

Controllers see themselves as internal consultants to the management. With their expertise and overview, they support managers with economic issues. They identify options for action, evaluate opportunities and risks and make recommendations. In doing so, they always maintain a critical distance and are not afraid to speak unpleasant truths.

Methods and tools of modern controlling

Key figures and KPIs

Key performance indicators are used to make a company’s performance measurable and comparable. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are critical to the success of the company. Controllers define the appropriate KPIs, collect them regularly and use them for management purposes. Which KPIs are relevant for a company depends on the industry, the business model and the strategic goals.

Frequently used KPIs include:

  • Finances: Sales and sales growth, profit (EBIT, EBITDA, net profit), cash flow, equity ratio, debtor days outstanding (DSO)
  • Customers: Customer satisfaction (NPS, CSAT), customer retention rate, customer acquisition costs (CAC), customer value (customer lifetime value)
  • Processes: Productivity, throughput times, error rates, delivery reliability, capacity utilization
  • Employees: Employee satisfaction, fluctuation, sickness rate, training hours per employee
  • Projects: Adherence to deadlines, budget compliance, resource utilization, rework rate
  • Marketing: market share, brand awareness, conversion rate, return on marketing investment (ROMI)

Reporting and dashboards

Reporting is the art of delivering the right information to the right people at the right time. Controllers create standardized reports that are prepared differently depending on the target group. Interactive dashboards that clearly visualize key figures and enable in-depth analyses are becoming increasingly popular.

Budgeting and forecasting

Controllers draw up budgets in coordination with the specialist departments and monitor compliance with them. In addition, they prepare rolling forecasts during the year that reflect the expected business development. This enables them to react to deviations at an early stage.

Deviation analyses

If there are deviations between actual and target figures, it is the controllers’ task to determine the reasons. To do this, they use methods such as the ABC analysis, the cause-and-effect analysis or the 5-Why method. The aim is to identify the main influencing factors and derive suitable countermeasures.

Digital tools and artificial intelligence

In addition to traditional tools, new methods are becoming increasingly important in the course of digitalization: business intelligence tools, for example, enable automated data processing and analysis. Predictive analytics uses statistical methods and AI to forecast future developments or simulate different future scenarios.

Challenges in controlling

Ensure data quality

The biggest challenge for controllers is ensuring high data quality. They can only create reliable analyses and make well-founded decisions on the basis of correct, complete and up-to-date data. To do this, they must work closely with the specialist departments, define clear data standards and consistently monitor data maintenance.

Mastering complexity

Unternehmen werden immer komplexer – und damit auch das Controlling. Controller müssen in der Lage sein, die vielfältigen Zusammenhänge und Wechselwirkungen zu verstehen und zu managen. Dazu brauchen sie nicht nur fachliche Kompetenz, sondern auch Systemverständnis und analytisches Denkvermögen. Gleichzeitig müssen sie komplexe Sachverhalte einfach und verständlich kommunizieren können. Leistungsfähige IT-Systeme wie Lösungen für ERP, Business Intelligence und Analytics sind eine große Hilfe dabei.

Interdepartmental cooperation

Controlling does not work in the proverbial ivory tower. It relies on close cooperation with all areas of the company. One challenge here is to reconcile the different perspectives and interests. Controllers must be diplomatic, build relationships and create trust. This is the only way they can fulfill their role as internal consultants.

Creating acceptance among managers

For controlling to be effective, it needs the acceptance and support of management. After all, they have to trust the figures and implement the recommendations. Controllers must speak the language of managers and clearly emphasize their added value. You should position yourself as a partner who takes the pressure off management and provides advice and support. Regular feedback can help you to better meet expectations.

Future trends: Controlling in the digital transformation

Business intelligence and analytics

Data volumes are growing exponentially and are becoming increasingly complex. To gain valuable insights from this, controllers are increasingly turning to business intelligence (BI) and analytics. BI tools make it possible to integrate, analyse and visualize data from various sources. This allows patterns to be recognized, correlations to be understood and data-based decisions to be made.

Predictive forecasting with AI

Until now, forecasts have mostly been based on historical data and statistical methods. Artificial intelligence (AI) opens up new possibilities here. With the help of machine learning, forecasting models can be developed that recognize patterns in large amounts of data and predict future developments more precisely. This turns forecasting into predictive forecasting.

Automation of routine tasks

Many tasks in controlling are recurring and time-consuming, such as data collection and preparation. Robotic process automation (RPA) can largely automate such routine activities. This relieves controllers and frees up time for more demanding analyses and consulting. At the same time, speed and data quality increase.

Agile and integrated controlling

Companies are becoming more agile and flexible – this must also be reflected in controlling. Rigid annual budgets and plans are being supplemented or replaced by rolling forecasts and flexible budgets. In addition, operational and strategic planning are moving closer together. The aim is integrated controlling that is able to react quickly to changes.

What is the difference between accounting, bookkeeping and controlling?

Accounting, bookkeeping and controlling are related areas that work closely together. However, they each describe different tasks:

  • Rechnungswesen ist der Oberbegriff für die alle Aufgaben rund um die Erfassung, Auswertung und Kommunikation der finanzbezogenen Daten eines Unternehmens. Buchhaltung und Controlling sind Teilbereiche des Rechnungswesens.
  • Accounting is responsible for the complete documentation of all business transactions. It provides the data for the annual financial statements and other reports as well as for controlling.
  • As explained above, controlling reviews and analyzes the company’s performance data. The findings are used by management to make decisions and steer the company.

While bookkeeping and accounting are required by law, controlling is voluntary. However, it is essential (apart from very small companies) in order to remain competitive.

Which department is responsible for controlling?

Controlling should be an independent body. It must be able to act objectively and neutrally in order to fulfill its monitoring and advisory function. For this reason, it is often located directly under the management as a staff unit.

Career in controlling

How do you become a controller?

Most controllers have completed a business degree or training, often with a focus on controlling, finance or accounting. Career changers are also in demand, for example those with an IT or mathematics background.

What skills does a controller need?

Controller is a demanding job and requires a wide range of skills. Here are the most important ones:

Professional skills

  • Sound business management knowledge, especially in cost accounting, balance sheet accounting and finance
  • Understanding of the company’s business processes and industry
  • Knowledge of controlling methods and tools such as budgeting, forecasting, key figure analysis or reporting
  • Confident handling of IT tools such as ERP systems, business intelligence software or spreadsheets

Analytical skills

  • Strong logical and conceptual thinking skills
  • Ability to quickly understand complex issues and recognize correlations
  • Confident handling of figures and data
  • Ability to recognize patterns and derive conclusions
  • Creativity in the development of solutions

Communicative skills

  • Ability to prepare and present complex content in an understandable and target group-oriented way
  • Confident and convincing appearance
  • Negotiating skills and assertiveness
  • Leadership qualities

Interesting facts from the blog

FAQ on controlling

What is meant by controlling?

In a company, controlling refers to the entire set of instruments for planning, management, control and information that support managers so that economic goals can be systematically achieved.

What tasks does controlling perform?

Controlling includes tasks such as target setting and budgeting, analyzing deviations between target and actual values, reporting and supporting decisions by providing relevant key figures and information.

In which areas is controlling used?

Controlling is active both at the strategic level – for example for the long-term orientation of the company – and at the operational level – for example to monitor ongoing processes – and supports functions such as production, sales, purchasing, finance and human resources.

How is controlling related to an ERP system?

An integrated ERP system gives controlling access to central databases such as orders, inventories, costs and sales. This allows relevant key figures to be evaluated in real time, deviations to be identified and control measures to be initiated on a sound basis.

Why is controlling important for companies?

Controlling provides transparency about business processes, helps to deploy resources efficiently, identify risks at an early stage and derive control and optimization measures – thus strengthening economic stability and competitiveness.

What are the challenges in controlling?

The challenges include ensuring high-quality data, integrating different areas of the company, implementing agile structures and transforming traditional controlling roles into dynamic management functions.