Technicians will often be asked these tasks:

• Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.

Any supervisor should excel at:

• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment.
• Detecting or assessing problems whether real or potential.
• Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.

• Performing scheduled preventive maintenance tasks, such as checking, cleaning, or repairing equipment, for detecting and preventing problems.
• Examining working orders and conversing with equipment operators for detecting equipment problems and for ascertaining whether mechanical or human errors contributed to the problems.
• Setting up and testing industrial equipment for ensuring that it functions properly.
• Testing faulty equipment for diagnosing malfunctions, using testing equipment or software, and applying knowledge of the functional operation of electronic units and systems.
• Repairing or adjusting equipment, machines, or defective components, replacing worn parts, such as gaskets or seals in watertight electrical equipment.
• Calibrating testing instruments and installed or repaired equipment to prescribed specifications.
• Advising management regarding customer satisfaction, product performance, or suggestions for product improvements.
• Inspecting components of industrial equipment for accurate assembly and installation or for defects, such as loose connections or frayed wires.