When establishing a central check on subordinates' work, which factor is most important to consider before implementing the procedure?

• A. Whether or not your subordinates are likely to resent your use of the new procedure
• B. The frequency with which it will be practicable to check the accuracy of your subordinates' work
• C. The phases of your subordinates' work which will require the greatest amount of review
• D. Whether or not the expected results of the new procedure will justify the time and money spent on using it

Answer: (D)

Evaluating whether the expected results justify the time and money spent is the key idea here. Before you implement a central check on subordinates’ work, you want to know if the benefits—such as improved accuracy, consistency, and accountability—outweigh the costs of setting up, maintaining, and monitoring the procedure. If the control is not worth its expense in time, labor, and money, it won’t deliver a good return and could even hinder productivity or morale. While factors like potential resentment or how often you can practically verify work matter for how you design and deploy the procedure, they don’t determine whether it should be implemented in the first place. The primary question is whether the anticipated gains justify the investment.