We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Education

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Does a Planning Supervisor Do?

By C. Webb
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 6,035
Share

A planning supervisor is charged with ensuring the production schedule is met in manufacturing. Using learned inspection and auditing skills, he or she determines what if any changes will help meet that goal. The typical work environment for a planning supervisor is a manufacturing plant. A college degree and several years of work experience are usually required to get the job.

Planning supervisors lead a staff of capacity planners. Manufacturing plants are responsible for many different industry products. The planning supervisor gains work experience in the field he or she wants to supervise before moving into the position. For example, a planning supervisor who works in the automotive parts field typically gains his or her work experience in a plant that manufactures automotive parts.

Communication and supervision are important elements of a planning supervisor's job. He or she must communicate with not only the planning staff, but also with engineers, members of management, and others involved in production. Part of effective supervision is knowing how to delegate responsibilities to capacity planners.

The ability to see the big picture is an important skill set for planning supervisors to possess. A production process contains many different steps. The supervisor must be able to view the process as a whole to determine whether it is on target to meet the production schedule. Careful evaluation and analysis help spot potential issues.

In addition to recognizing that a process is falling behind schedule, the planning supervisor is expected to know where the problem occurred. For example, if the assembly line falls behind in the number of parts ordered in a given week, he or she will recognize this and suggest overtime to plant management. Once the production has caught up, the planning supervisor lets management know it's time to cut back to regular hours.

Meetings to plan future production schedules are often attended by the planning supervisor. Previous schedules are examined and discussed. The supervisor makes suggestions about how previous problems can be avoided in the future. For example, if the last schedule fell behind due to the company failing to order enough shipping packages, a suggestion will be made to order more packages in the future.

Planning supervisors report to the plant manager or department head. They usually work in an office with access to the manufacturing floor. In most cases, planning supervisors work as employees at companies rather than as contractors.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-does-a-planning-supervisor-do.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.