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Production manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

8 min read

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical production manager skills. We ranked the top skills for production managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 8.0% of production manager resumes contained continuous improvement as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a production manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 production manager skills for your resume and career

1. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how production managers use continuous improvement:

Performed assessment of company health and safety program recommending continuous improvement tasks while developing project plans to implement and maintain compliance.
Developed an employee-training program customized for machine operators, which lead to continuous improvements of increased productivity and decrease in errors.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how production managers use customer service:

Managed multiple departments involved in the manufacture, customer service and distribution of printed financial documents directly marketed by financial institutions.
Directed communication and process flow within engineering, quality, manufacturing, and shipping departments to improve overall customer service.

3. Quality Standards

Quality standards are a specific level of standards of products that are set by the companies for the customers that have to be met and maintained throughout the process until the time of delivery. Quality standards are information that includes the customer's requirements, guidelines, and characteristics for the needed final product or service.

Here's how production managers use quality standards:

Managed Production department to meet production schedules, quality standards and requirements, cost and on-time delivery objectives established by organization.
Demonstrated sound business acumen in planning orders, implementing food quality standards, developing food production schedules, and managing supervisors.

4. Safety Procedures

Safety procedures are a set of standardized procedures, that ensures minimal to no risk to people, resources, and the work environment. A company follows the step-by-step safety procedures as it they not only keep the customers and the employees safe, but also help in avoiding legal claims.

Here's how production managers use safety procedures:

Directed and monitored department managers to accomplish goals of the manufacturing plan, consistent with established manufacturing and safety procedures.
Planned and directed production activities, established daily production priorities and interpreted company policies for workers and enforced safety procedures.

5. Lean Manufacturing

Here's how production managers use lean manufacturing:

Transitioned manufacturing operations to six sigma/lean manufacturing leading to an increase in production capabilities and a decrease in scrap and waste.
Analyzed current production Standard Work Procedures and the implementation of Lean Manufacturing initiatives to improve safety, quality and production efficiency.

6. Production Supervisors

A Production Supervisor is an employee who is in charge of ensuring that the production processes of one or more products continues to run. This often includes the maintenance and repair of various tools and machinery, the organising of different employee, delivery, and various other schedules, and hiring new employees.

Here's how production managers use production supervisors:

Full P&L responsibility for plant-wide production operations with direct supervision over production supervisors, shipping and warehouse personnel.
Mentored production supervisors and team leads into sustainable means of managing their responsibilities, and better communication between them.

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7. Production Schedules

The project plan of a film or a documentary that highlights how a production budget will be spent over a given period until its completion is called a production schedule. The scheduling process starts with writing and analyzing the script, which is then broken down to determine and allocate the budget for each scene. The production schedule also includes several elements of the film including; cast actors, special effects, wardrobe, special equipment, stunts, extras, silent bits, production equipment, and many others.

Here's how production managers use production schedules:

Managed the manufacturing activities of two production departments, including meeting production schedules, and performance goals established by senior management.
Provided manufacturing decision-making information by calculating production, labor, and material costs; reviewing production schedules; estimating future requirements.

8. On-Time Delivery

On-Time Delivery, or OTD, is a metric that measures the rate at which finished goods and deliveries are completed on time. This rate is measured by the overall number of units shipped within a specified time frame agreed upon by the consumer and supplier. On-Time Delivery allows suppliers' compliance with delivery deadlines, and hence their consistency, to be assessed using a continuous and collaborative development approach.

Here's how production managers use on-time delivery:

Ensured maximum operational efficiency and on-time delivery while performing safety, quality, cost, and inventory management within budget constraints.
Formalized quality process that transformed a haphazard new product introduction process to one that established consistent quality standards and on-time delivery.

9. Production Process

The production process is a series of events and industrial activities that come into play when raw material are delivered onto the production facility for manufacturing. The process involves different steps of production from start to finish such as; research, design formation, design testing, product manufacturing, and assembly according to the design, product experimentations, and supply.

Here's how production managers use production process:

Planned, organized and directed production activities, while continually evaluating production process to ensure optimal efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Administered the implementation of automated systems project for production processes and product transportation, utilizing automatic transfer lines.

10. Product Quality

Product quality is the basic element of a business. It means to add features in a product or service in such a way that it meets the needs and wants of the customers. Enhancing the product quality also means improve the goods from any existing defects to ensure customer satisfaction.

Here's how production managers use product quality:

Introduced a series of productivity improvement and performance management programs that consistently improved production output, product quality and customer satisfaction.
Recommended and implemented successful programs that motivated employees and improved production methods, equipment performance, product quality, and efficiency.

11. Production Facility

A production facility is a kind of building, machinery, or equipment utilized to manufacture a product. These products can be built on an assembly line or require a more complex process, such as producing and treating fluids and gas.

Here's how production managers use production facility:

Served as Project Leader for business expansion operations including new facility acquisition, permitting & construction, and production facility relocation.
Coordinated the opening of a new integrated production facility including machinery layout, production flow, and providing all pertinent logistics.

12. Production Operations

Production operations are the process through which a business turns its resources into goods or services. Production operations include activities such as manufacturing, production, procurement, inventory, and shipment. These operations turn raw materials into consumable products or services through human resources and automation.

Here's how production managers use production operations:

Managed production operations estimated/priced/scheduled all jobs.
Supervised production operations including material processing, budget control and development, milling department operations, and shipping of finished goods.

13. Process Improvement

Here's how production managers use process improvement:

Performed statistical analysis to identify process improvement opportunities
Developed and implemented a 2 year strategic plan which included product/packaging material changes, process improvements, automation and training objectives.

14. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how production managers use human resources:

Cooperated with Human Resources to develop an equitable, competitive operator compensation program to ensure fairness and to retain productive employees.
Support general Human Resources functions, including payroll and vacation verification, and disciplinary action following negative employee evaluations.

15. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how production managers use sigma:

Develop and implement operating methods and procedures to eliminate operating problems and improve product quality using the six sigma methodology.
Participate in operational process improvement changes using Lean/6 Sigma techniques and promote a continuous improvement environment.

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List of production manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a production manager resume and required skills for a production manager to have include:

Continuous Improvement
Customer Service
Quality Standards
Safety Procedures
Lean Manufacturing
Production Supervisors
Production Schedules
On-Time Delivery
Production Process
Product Quality
Production Facility
Production Operations
Process Improvement
Human Resources
Sigma
Production Management
Direct Reports

R
Safety Standards
Production Lines
Corrective Action
Plant Operations
GMP
Inventory Control
Kaizen
FDA
Production Equipment
Production Floor
Product Development
Cost Reduction
Performance Reviews
QC
Quality Issues
CNC

Manufacturing Management
KPI
Production Reports
Disciplinary Actions
Photoshop
HACCP
Production Planning
Production Orders
Production Targets
QA
Equipment Maintenance
Production Efficiency
Cost Savings
Customer Orders
Inventory Management

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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