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.