Work, Time & Method
Study
Work, Time and Method study
Work study officers and Industrial engineers daily use various technical terms like Basic time, Standard time, predetermined time, relaxation allowances etc. But due to
unavailability of the reference books they find it difficult to explain these work study terms correctly when required. Some of the important terms and definitions related to work study are provided below for your quick reference.
Source: Introduction to Work Study, Edited by George Kanawaty, ILO, Geneva, 1992 Work Study
Work study is the systematic examination of the methods of carrying on activities so as to improve the effective use of resources and to set up standards of performance for the activities being carried out.
Method Study
Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of ways of doing things in order to make improvements.
Work, Time and Method study
Work Measurement
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.
Work Sampling
Work sampling is a method of finding the percentage occurrence of a certain activity by statistical sampling and random observations.
Work Content
The work content of a job or operation is defined as: basic time +
relaxation allowance + any allowance for additional work – e.g. that part of contingency allowance which represents work.
Work, Time and Method study
Work Measurement
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.
Work Content
The work content of a job or operation is defined as: basic time +
relaxation allowance + any allowance for additional work – e.g. that part of contingency allowance which represents work.
Work, Time and Method study
Time study:
Time study is a work measurement technique for recording the times of performing a certain specific job or its elements carried out under specified conditions, and for analysing the data so as to obtain the time necessary for an operator to carry it out at a defined rate of performance.
Qualified Worker
A qualified worker is one who has acquired the skill, knowledge and other attributes to carry out the work in hand to satisfactory standards of quantity, quality and safety.
Element
An element is a distinct part of a specified job selected for convenience of observation, measurement and analysis.
Work Cycle
A work cycle is a sequence of elements which are required to perform a job or yield a unit of production. The sequence may sometimes include occasional elements.
Work Study:
Definition of Work Study:
“Work study is a generic term for those techniques, particularly method study and work measurement, which are used in all its context and which lead systematically to the investigation of all the factors, which effect the efficiency and economy of the situation being reviewed in order to effect improvement.”
Objectives of Work Study:
(i) Work study brings higher productivity;
(ii) Work study improves existing method of work for which cost becomes lower;
(iii) It eliminates wasteful elements;
(iv) It sets standard of performance;
(v) It helps to use plant and human more effectively;
Steps of work Study:
• It selects the jobs which are to be studied
• It examines critically the recorded facts which are already done
• It records from direct observations all the matters which are happened;
• It defines new method;
• It also installs the new method;
Other Benefits:
It also maintains the new standard;
• It develops most economic and appropriate methods
• It measure the work content in the method, that is selected and compute a standard time
• It improves by saving in time and loss of material also
Type of work Study:
a) Method study
b) Time and Motion study
Method Study: Method study is the first of the two main division of work study and is concerned with the way in which work is done. Method study is essentially used for finding the better way in which work is done. It is a technique for cost reduction. The philosophy of method study is that “There is always a better way of doing a job’ and the tool of method study are designed to systematically arrive this better way of doing a job.
Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of existing and proposed ways of doing work as a means of developing and applying easier and more effective
methods and reducing cost.
It is a systematic recording and critical examination of ways of doing things in order to make improvement.
(In a sort letter “ to reduce the cost, which examination/system are going to set up to developing and applying easier and more effective methods”.)
Objectives of method study: -
Improve layout of factory and office.
Simplify tasks.
To improve the flow of work.
To get the better quality of the product
Effective materials handling.
To improve the proper utilization of resources.
To get maximum output.
Waste reduction.
Need of method study:
Method study is a continuous activity and must be used at definite interval of time to ensure the good health of an organization, as we know that prevention is better than cure. However, there are certain organization which may need the immediate use of method study. Here are such symptoms, whose presence can warrant the need for an
immediate application of method study:
Dissatisfaction among the clients and beneficiaries
Escalating operating cost
Low morale of the staff
Lack of discipline among the employee visible through late comings, not available during the office hours etc
Need of method study:
High wastage- poor use of materials, machineries, labour, space and services
Excessive movement and backtracking ions, handling of material and men
Existence of production bottlenecks
Excessive overtime
Excessive rejection and reworks
Complaints about quality
Complaints from workers- poor working condition of heavy job etc.
Scope of Method Study:
The task or work simplification and compatible work system design concerns the followings:
Layout of shop floor and working areas or work station
Working conditions
Handling distances (material movement)
Tooling and equipment used
Quality standards to be achieved
Operators and operations in achieving the production targets
Materials to be used
Power required and available
Work cycle time
Working processes
Time and motion study:
According to ILO, Time study means “a technique for determining as accurately as possible from a limited number of observations the time necessary to carry out a given activity at different standard of performance :. In other words, “time study is the art of observing and recording time required to do each detailed element of an individual operation.” Practically. It studies the time taken on each element of a job.
Motion study, on the other hand, is the study of the body motion used in performing an operation, with the thought of improving the operation by eliminating unnecessary motion and simplifying necessary motion and thus establishing the most favourable motion sequence for maximum efficiency.
So, in short, ‘Time Study’ means the determination of standard time that is taken by a worker of average ability under normal working conditions for performing a job. But ‘Motion Study’ determines the correct method of doing a job to avoid wasteful movements, for which the workers are unnecessarily tired.
Benefits of Time and motion study:
1. Time and Motion studies eliminate wasteful movements;
2. They examine the proposed method critically and determine the most effective one;
3. They determine for each element having a stop-watch;
4. They record all the parts of a job which are done by the existing method;
5. They install the method as standard one;
6. They critically observe the workers who are engaged with the work;
7. They assess the proper speed of the operator who is working.
Maintenance
Any action taken to retain material in or to restore it to a specified condition.
Generally speaking, there are four types of maintenance in use:
Preventive maintenance: Here equipment is maintained before break down occurs.
Operational maintenance: Here equipment is maintained in using.
Corrective maintenance: Here equipment is maintained after break down. This maintenance is often most expensive because worn equipment can damage other parts and cause multiple damages.
Adaptive maintenance: Here equipment is maintained by letting it adapt to new environment.
