Management Functions and Manufacturing Decisions

Management Functions and Manufacturing Decisions

Managers are partly responsible for implementing the four functions of management. These functions are keys to business success and if coordinated properly are extremely useful. The functions are: planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning involves the basic setup of any business goal or strategic initiative. Planning requires the ability to look toward the future of the business and also the competition. Market research and trends need to be considered prior to implementation. There are many different approaches to designing a plan. Strategic planning is designed to look far into the future, usually one to five years. These goals are usually very broad in scope. Tactical planning involves the building blocks of the strategic plan. This plan makes smaller steps in a shorter period of time to build toward the longer term goals. Operational planning is comprised of the actual needs to execute the strategic plan. These needs could include buildings, operating procedures, staffing, and any other resources needed to get the plans moving in the right direction. The contingency plan needs to be in place, but most companies will hope there isn't a need for. Usually the contingency plan is turned to when the original plan does not work out as expected. It could also be used to adjust to changes in management, market trends, or losses. These four phases of planning are usually executed by different levels of management within a company.

The second function of management is organizing. Organizing is the process of designing the systems and resources needed to realize the plan. This step focuses on department setup, resource allocation, system design and the human interaction that will take place while executing the plan.

The next function is leading. Leading is step where management must interact with subordinates to make certain work is completed in an efficient and cost effective manner. Leading is difficult because all people respond differently to communication and goals set in place. Managers must establish relationships with staff which is especially difficult in today's culturally diverse workplace. They must be able to effectively coach staff to ever-improving results and do all of this while remaining professional and ethical.

The last of the four functions of management is controlling. Controlling is the act of measuring results of the plan and the staff that is executing said plan. Establishing goals and standards are important so staff members have a clear direction and understanding of expectations. Once standards are set, managers must ensure that these are met and if not proper action must be taken to resolve the issues or adjust the standards.

I've decided that our small business is going to utilize an assembly only approach to manufacturing our appliance. This means will assemble the finished good within our own facility using parts we order from outside vendors. We will also have own staff and management