| Typical work activities of production manager
Depending on the size of the organization the functions of production manager are:
• to draw up a production schedule;
• to work out the needed resources;
• to estimate how long a job will take, to estimate the cost of it, and to set the
quality standards;
• to monitor the production processes and adjust schedules as needed.
At the pre-production stage the production manager has responsibility for the
selection and design of equipment, the plant layout and materials handling, and
production planning (including demand forecasting, production scheduling and the
ordering of material).
During the production stage the responsibilities of the production manager
include production control (the sequencing of jobs, updating time schedules, etc),
stock control, quality control and the maintenance and replacement of production
equipment. Production managers are also concerned with product design and
purchasing.
In a small firm production manager makes many of the decisions 111 inself,
but in a larger organization there are planners, controllers, production engineers and
production supervisors who assist him. In a very large firm senior production
manager plays a more strategic role estimating future capacity, coordinating the work
of planners and supervisors and working with buyers, sales and engineering staff.
In progressive firms the production manager's role is tending to be more
closely integrated with other functions, such as marketing and finance.
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