Org chart template: a small factory

A factory chart is the clearest example of spans of control changing with the kind of work. On the floor one supervisor can carry eight people, because the work is the same every hour. In quality one manager carries two, because every case needs judgement.

• Two production lines, two supervisors, two shifts. Use the Team field for the shift so you can see whether nights are covered as well as days.
• Quality does not report to production. This one matters. If the person who signs off the output reports to the person judged on output, the sign-off is worth nothing.
• Maintenance is small and central. Two people covering both lines. It is always the team that looks too small until a machine stops.
• Only three of the twenty-four boxes are off the floor — the general manager, the accountant, and HR and payroll. Typical, and worth knowing when you split overheads: see the SG&A guide.

What to change first: the number of operators per line, and the shifts. Everything about cost per unit follows from those.

What to watch: single points of failure. The maintenance lead and the quality manager have no cover here. On a real chart, that is either an accepted risk or a hiring decision, and it should be a conscious one.