An automated bandwidth monitoring and control method and system provides for real time, dynamic control of the allocation of bandwidth to selected applications in a communications network based on the selected operational context and the fixed bandwidth available at a network access point. A graphical user interface, using operational terms common to the overall enterprise in which and for which the network is implemented and understandable by an operator, displays the bandwidth allocation strategy, and in substantially real time displays statistics representative of actual bandwidth use at the access point, input functions for modifying the bandwidth allocation strategy in substantially real time and estimated message delay distributions for the applications of the strategy determined based on the actual bandwidth use statistics.