A computer implemented method for shaping voice-over-internet protocol traffic, the method comprising: defining in a computer-readable medium: network performance thresholds; and multiple-state control logic having a plurality of different possible states,; monitoring input network traffic flows and/or output network traffic flows, the output traffic flows including network traffic output by one or more network nodes (114 to 116), wherein the monitoring further includes monitoring the internal operation of the network nodes (114 to 116),; generating network event identifiers that identify events responsive to analysis of network performance measurements with respect to the network performance thresholds, wherein an event indicates an incidence that has happened, changes in the network traffic flows (118, 120), changes in the network traffic indicators or changes in the network nodes (114 to 116); correlating a generated network event identifier with a network node status identifier; generating a request for a network traffic shaping control based on the correlation of the network event identifier with the network node status identifier; launching network traffic shaping controls where the network event identifier satisfies a network node status condition associated with the network node status identifier, the network node status condition being satisfied when an input critical threshold is exceeded; managing the network traffic shaping control using a network traffic shaping control state model which defines a life cycle of the network shaping control, the network traffic shaping control state model comprising network traffic shaping control states indicating the state of the network traffic shaping control and being grouped into shaping control state sets, wherein the network traffic shaping control transitions between the network traffic shaping control states according to a network event identifier, wherein the different network traffic shaping control states have a state type that defines whether the network traffic shaping control is in an initial state, an intermediary state, or an ending state, wherein the network traffic shaping control starts at the initial state and transitions between various states as network event identifiers are generated until the network traffic shaping control reaches the ending state that ends the network traffic shaping control, wherein the state sets identify different causes for an ending of the shaping control, and network traffic shaping control transitions indicating events that cause the network traffic shaping control to change state between two state sets or within a state set, defining in a computer-readable medium: network performance thresholds; and multiple-state control logic having a plurality of different possible states,; network performance thresholds; and multiple-state control logic having a plurality of different possible states,; monitoring input network traffic flows and/or output network traffic flows, the output traffic flows including network traffic output by one or more network nodes (114 to 116), wherein the monitoring further includes monitoring the internal operation of the network nodes (114 to 116),; generating network event identifiers that identify events responsive to analysis of network performance measurements with respect to the network performance thresholds, wherein an event indicates an incidence that has happened, changes in the network traffic flows (118, 120), changes in the network traffic indicators or changes in the network nodes (114 to 116); correlating a generated network event identifier with a network node status identifier; generating a request for a network traffic shaping control based on the correlation of the network event identifier with the network node status identifier; launching network traffic shaping controls where the network event identifier satisfies a network node status condition associated with the network node status identifier, the network node status condition being satisfied when an input critical threshold is exceeded; managing the network traffic shaping control using a network traffic shaping control state model which defines a life cycle of the network shaping control, the network traffic shaping control state model comprising network traffic shaping control states indicating the state of the network traffic shaping control and being grouped into shaping control state sets, wherein the network traffic shaping control transitions between the network traffic shaping control states according to a network event identifier, wherein the different network traffic shaping control states have a state type that defines whether the network traffic shaping control is in an initial state, an intermediary state, or an ending state, wherein the network traffic shaping control starts at the initial state and transitions between various states as network event identifiers are generated until the network traffic shaping control reaches the ending state that ends the network traffic shaping control, wherein the state sets identify different causes for an ending of the shaping control, and network traffic shaping control transitions indicating events that cause the network traffic shaping control to change state between two state sets or within a state set,