Work Study: Forerunner of All the Latter-day Techniques

Work Study (Method Study and Work Measurement)- Still the Most Fundamental Improvement System

Work Study comprising of its two main branches

- Method Study and

- Work Measurement

remains, even to date, the most fundamental system of introducing continual improvements in effectiveness, efficiency and overall productivity. It is the forerunner of the latter-day systems and techniques like Business Process Reengineering, TQM, Kaizen etc.

Therefore, a thorough knowledge of Work Study becomes imperative.

Gain Knowledge in Work Study in the Quickest Way

To facilitate gaining the knowledge in this important subject, our well-known authors Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar authored a book titled "Essentials of Work Study".

In order to impart the knowledge of Work Study in the shortest possible time, the authors included only the “essential” aspects of Work Study in the book and titled the book aptly as "Essentials of Work Study".

The authors are top-notch business executives, highly sought after business and management consultants, eminent management gurus, authentic human behavior experts and prolific authors. And so the book “Essentials of Work Study” becomes an authentic document on the subject.

For more details of the book contact our email: prodcons@prodcons.com

Steps in Carrying Out Work Measurement (Determining the Standard Time): The Process

It will be advisable to read all the previous (older) blog posts sequentially to have a better understanding of the subject of Work Study).

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

Process Steps of Carrying Out Work Measurement (Determining the Standard Time)

1. Obtain and record all available information about the job, the worker and the surrounding conditions likely to affect the execution of the work.
2. Record the complete description of the method, break it down into elements.
3. Measure with a stopwatch and record the time taken by the worker to perform each element of the operation.
4. Assess the rating of the worker.
5. Extend the observed time to "basic time" by factorizing the actual time (observed time) by the assessed rating.
6. Determine the allowances (e.g. personal allowances, relaxation allowances, allowances for the working conditions etc) to be made over and above the "basic time" for the operation.
7. Apply those allowances on the "basic time".
8. Thus, determine the "standard time" for the operation.

For More Guidance, Assistance, Training and Consultation

Contact: prodcons@prodcons.com

Training on various "Productivity Techniques" and "Efficient Work Practices/Methods" is provided by Prodcons Group's Mr Shyam Bhatawdekar, eminent business executive, management consultant and trainer- par excellence with distinction of having trained over 150,000 professional from around 250 organizations.

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Contact Prodcons Group at: prodcons@prodcons.com

Conceptual Framework for Carrying Out Work Measurement

(It will be advisable to read all the previous (older) blog posts sequentially to have a better understanding of the subject of Work Study).

Work Measurement: Conceptual Framework

It is essential to understand the following concepts in order to undertake work measurement exercise in any organization:

• Qualified worker: Qualified worker is one who is accepted as having the necessary physical attributes, who possess the required intelligence and education and who has acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out the work in hand to satisfactory standards of safety, quantity and quality.
• Standard rating: Rating is the assessment of the worker's rate of working relative to the observer's concept of the rate corresponding to standard pace (or standard rate).
• Standard performance (pace or rate): It is the rate of output which a qualified worker will naturally achieve without over-exertion as an average over the working day or shift, provided that he knows and adheres to the specified method and provided that he is motivated to apply himself to his work. The time taken to achieve the standard performance by the qualified worker is called "standard time".

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

Work Measurement

(It will be advisable to read all the previous (older) blog posts sequentially to have a better understanding of the subject of Work Study).

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

Work Measurement: Introduction

Work measurement is the application of techniques designed to establish the time for a qualified worker to carry out a task at a defined rate of working or at a defined level of performance.

It measures the time taken in performance of an operation or a series of operations and in can separate out ineffective time from effective time. Thus ineffective time can be studied and by way of method study described in earlier paragraphs, the ineffective operations can be reduced or eliminated.

Fair Day's Work

Amount of work that can be produced by a qualified worker/employee when working at normal pace and effectively utilizing his time and where work is not restricted by process limitations.

Objectives of Work Measurement

• Finding ineffective time in an activity or a process (series of activities).
• Setting standard (norms) for output level.
• Evaluating workers' performance.
• Assessing and planning manpower needs.
• Determining available capacity.
• Comparing various work methods.
• Facilitating operations scheduling.
• Establishing wage incentive schemes.

Some Techniques of Work Measurement

• Stop-watch time study.
• Work sampling.
• Predetermined time standards (PTS).
• Standard Data.

Gilbreth's Bricklaying Improvement

Classic Example of Early Application of Motion and Time Study as Done by Gilbreth in his Bricklaying Improvement

Frank Gilbreth designed a special scaffold and a new brick laying procedure that reduced the movements needed from 18 to 5 and in one case to 2. The worker’s productivity increased from laying 120 bricks per hour to laying 350 bricks per hour. The new procedure also decreased fatigue.

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

Method Study: Motion Economy Principles

As an important part of method study, Frank Gilbreth and his wife Lillian Gilbreth, through their various experiments, institutionalized motion and time study through their famous motion economy principles. (You may find it very interesting to refer their biographical 1950 film and book Cheaper by the Dozen).

If one can study the motions and micro motions performed in carrying out an activity and economize on them- try to reduce them, the time taken for the activity can be significantly reduced.

For this, the movements are classified in 5 classes as given below:

• Class 1: Body members moved in this class are fingers and the pivot is knuckle.
• Class 2: Body members moved in this class are hands and fingers and the pivot is wrist.
• Class 3: Body members moved in this class are forearms, hands and fingers and the pivot is elbow.
• Class 4: Body members moved in this class are upper arms, forearms, hands and fingers and the pivot is shoulder.
• Class 5: Body members moved in this class are torso, upper arms, forearms, hands and fingers and the pivot is trunk.

Further, Gilbreth came out with the idea of conducting micro motion study. To facilitate it, a set of fundamental motions required for a worker to perform a manual operation was defined. The set consists of 18 elements, each describing a standardized activity. The set is called "therblig" (read Gilbreth in reverse order and you get this term "therblig" with 'th' treated as one letter). These are listed below:

• Search
• Find
• Select
• Grasp
• Hold
• Position
• Assemble
• Use
• Disassemble
• Inspect
• Transport loaded
• Transport unloaded
• Pre-position for next operation
• Release load
• Unavoidable delay
• Avoidable delay
• Plan
• Rest to overcome fatigue

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

Taylor's Shoveling Experiment

Classic Example of Early Application of Method Study as Done by Taylor in his Shoveling Experiment

• Tons handled on piece work during the year ended 30th April 1901: 924,040
• Cost of handling these materials: $30,798
• Former cost per year: $67,215
• Net saving: $36,417
• Average cost per ton: now $0.033, formerly $0.072
• Average earnings per man per day: now $1.88, formerly, $1.15
• Average tons handled per man per day: now $57, formerly $16
• Number of men: now 140, formerly 400 to 600