WORK STUDY

© Oxford University Press 2004, All rights reserved

2

Components of work study

Work study

Work MeasurementJob Design

Employee-Machine

Activity Chart

Flow Process Chart

Job enlargement, rotation & enrichment

Methods Analysis

Principles of Motion Economy

Work Sampling

Stop-watch Time Study

Method study..

According to the British Standards Institute BS3138, 1992..Method study is “The systematic recording and critical examination of ways of doing things in order to make improvements..”

Purpose of method study..

The aim of method study is to analyze a situation, examine the objectives of the situation and then to synthesize an improved, more efficient

and effective method or system.

OBJECTIVES OF METHOD STUDY..

  1.   Improvement of processes and procedures..

2.   Improvement in the design of plant and equipment..3.   Improvement of layout..4.   Improvement in the use of men, materials and machines..5.   Economy in human effort and reduction of unnecessary fatigue..6.   Improvement in safety standards..7.   Development of better working environment..

Steps in method study..

basic procedure was first developed and articulated by Russell Currie at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI)..It consists of six steps SREDIM..

SREDIM..

• SELECT the work or area to be studied..• RECORD all appropriate and relevant data about the

current situation..• EXAMINE critically, the recorded data..• DEVELOP alternative approaches to making improvements

and choose the most appropriate..• INSTALL the new method, to make the required changes to

the situation..• MAINTAIN the new situation..

Methods Analysis

• Changes in tools and equipment

• Changes in product designor new products

• Changes in materials or procedures

• Other factors (e.g. accidents, quality problems)

The need for methods analysis:

Analyzing how a job gets doneBegins with overall analysisMoves to specific details

Analyzing the Job

• Flow process chartTo examine the overall sequence of an operation by focusing on movements of the operator or flow of materials

• Worker-machine chartTo determine portions of a work cycle during which an operator and equipment are busy or idle

Operation flow chart..

• A graphic representation that gives an overall view of an entire process, including the points at which materials are introduced, the sequence of inspections, and all operations not involved in material handling..

Flow process chart..

A flowchart is common type of chart, that represents an algorithm or process, showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting these with arrows.. Flowcharts are used in designing or documenting a process or program in various fields..

Symbols used here..

• Start and end symbols.. ( Ovals )• Arrows..• Processing steps.. ( Rectangles )• Input/Output.. ( Parallelogram )• Conditional or decision.. ( Rhombus )• Connectors.. ( Circles )

Symbols used here..

o (operation)steps in a process of modifying a material, part or product..

[] (inspection)for quality (test) or quantity (count)=> (transport)movement of workers, material or equipment from one operation to another..

D (temporary delay) work waiting between operations..

V (permanent storage)controlled, authorization needed to put/retrieve part into storage..

History..

• The Flow process charts which is popularly called Flow chart was introduced by Frank Gilbreth in 1921..

• But according to Herman Goldstine, he developed flowcharts with John von Neumann at Princeton University in late 1946 and early 1947..

Process mapping..

Refers to activities involved in defining exactly what a manufacturing process (Biz process) does, who is responsible, to what standard a process should be completed and how the success of a manufacturing process can be determined..ISO 9001 demands the business to have Process mapping..

Its useful in..

• Business process re-engineering.. • Regulatory compliance..• Activity analysis.. • Service level agreement (SLA)• role clarity.. • Simulation..

Usage..

• Process mapping utilizes detailed flow-charts, work flow diagrams and value stream maps..

• Each map is helpful depending on the process questions and theories being considered.

• Process map implies the use of process flow and the current understanding of the causal structure..

© Oxford University Press 2004, All rights reserved

24

WORK DESIGN & JOB DESIGN

• Work study is an umbrella term used to collectively address the issues of job design and work measurement.

• Job design means assigning various components i.e. tasks to a job to be performed by a worker in daily routine.

Behavioral Approaches to Job Design

• Job Enlargement– Giving a worker a larger portion of the total task

by horizontal loading

• Job Rotation– Workers periodically exchange jobs

• Job Enrichment– Increasing responsibility for planning and

coordination tasks, by vertical loading

What is Job Design?Defined

• Job design is the function of specifying the work activities of

an individual or group in an organizational setting

• The objective of job design is to develop jobs that meet the

requirements of the organization and its technology and that

satisfy the jobholder’s personal and individual requirements

Job Design Decisions

HowWhyWhenWhereWhatWho

Mental andphysicalcharacteristicsof the work force

Tasks to beperformed

Geographiclocale of theorganization;location of work areas

Time of day;time of occurrence inthe work flow

Organizationalrationale forthe job; object-ives and mot-ivation of theworker

Method of performanceandmotivation

UltimateJob

Structure

Motion Study

Systematic study of the

human motions

used to perform

an operation.

Motion Study Techniques

• Motion study principles - guidelines for designing motion-efficient work procedures

Analysis of therbligs - basic elemental motions into which a job can be broken down

Micromotion study - use of motion pictures and slow motion to study motions that otherwise would be too rapid to analyze

Charts

1. Eliminate unnecessary motions

2. Combine activities3. Reduce fatigue4. Improve the

arrangement of the workplace

5. Improve the design of tools and equipment

Developing Work Methods

Trends in Job Design · Quality control as part of the worker's job

· Cross-training workers to perform multi skilled jobs

· Employee involvement and team approaches to designing and organizing work

· "Informating" ordinary workers through e-mail and the Internet

Trends in Job Design (Continued)· Extensive use of temporary workers

· Automation of heavy manual work

·Creating alternative workplaces

· Organizational commitment to providing meaningful and rewarding jobs for all employees

Physical Considerations in Job Design

• Work physiology sets work-rest cycles according to

the energy expended in various parts of the job. The

harder the work, the more the need for rest periods.

• Ergonomics is a term used to describe the study of the

physical arrangement of the work space together with

tools used to perform a task. Fit the work to the body

rather than forcing the body to conform to the work.

Work Methods

Workers Interacting with Other Workers

A Production Process

Worker at a Fixed Workplace

Worker Interacting with Equipment

Ultimate Job Design

Ultimate

Job Design

Work Measurement Defined

• Work measurement is a process of analyzing jobs for the purpose of setting time standards• Why use it?– Schedule work and allocate capacity– Motivate and measure work

performance– Evaluate performance– Provide benchmarks

WORK MEASUREMENT

PURPOSE OF WORK MEASUREMENT

1. To find ineffective time in a process2. To set standard for output level3. To evaluate worker's performance4. To plan work force needs.5. To determine available capacity6. To compare work methods7. To facilitate operations scheduling8. To establish wage incentive schemes

Work Measurement

• Standard time

• Stopwatch time study

• Historical times

• Predetermined data

• Work Sampling

Standard time

Stopwatch time study

Historical times

Predetermined data

Work Sampling

Work Sampling

Work Sampling

• Use inference to make statements about work activity

based on a sample of the activity

• Ratio Delay

– Activity time percentage for workers or equipment

• Performance Measurement

– Relates work time to output (performance index)

• Time Standards

– Standard task times

Advantage of Work Sampling over Time Study

• Several work sampling studies may be conducted

simultaneously by one observer

• The observer need not be a trained analyst unless the

purpose of the study is to determine a time standard

• No timing devices are required

• Work of a long cycle time may be studied with fewer observer

hours

Advantage of Work Sampling over Time Study (Continued)

• The duration of the study is longer, which minimizes effects of

short-period variations

• The study may be temporarily delayed at any time with little

effect

• Because work sampling needs only instantaneous

observations (made over a longer period), the operator has

less chance to influence the findings by changing work

method

Basic Compensation Systems

• Hourly Pay

• Straight Salary

• Piece Rate

• Commissions

Financial Incentive Plans

• Individual and Small-Group Plans– Output measures– Quality measures– Pay for knowledge

• Organization-wide Plans– Profit-sharing– Gain-sharing

• Bonus based on controllable costs or units of output• Involve participative management

Scanlon PlanBasic Elements

Ratio =Total labor cost

Sales value of production

• The ratio– Standard for judging business performance

• The bonus– Depends on reduction in costs below the preset ratio

• The production committee

• The screening committee

Time Study Normal Time Formulas• Normal time(NT)=Observed performance time per unit

x (Performance rating)*

*The Performance Rating is usually expressed in decimal form in these formulas. So a person working 10% faster than normal would have a Performance Rating of 1.10 or 110% of normal time. Working 10% slower, 0.90 or 90% of normal.

• NT= Time worked _ x (Performance rating)* Number of units produced

• Normal time(NT)=Observed performance time per unit x (Performance rating)*

*The Performance Rating is usually expressed in decimal form in these formulas. So a person working 10% faster than normal would have a Performance Rating of 1.10 or 110% of normal time. Working 10% slower, 0.90 or 90% of normal.

• NT= Time worked _ x (Performance rating)* Number of units produced

Time Study Standard Time Formulas

• Standard time = Normal time + (Allowances x Normal times)

• Standard time = NT(1 + Allowances)

• Standard time = NT . 1 - Allowances

• Standard time = Normal time + (Allowances x Normal times)

• Standard time = NT(1 + Allowances)

• Standard time = NT . 1 - Allowances

Time Study Example Problem• You want to determine the standard time for a job.

The employee selected for the time study has produced 20 units of product in an 8 hour day. Your observations made the employee nervous and you estimate that the employee worked about 10 percent faster than what is a normal pace for the job. Allowances for the job represent 25 percent of the normal time.

• Question: What are the normal and standard times for this job?

• You want to determine the standard time for a job. The employee selected for the time study has produced 20 units of product in an 8 hour day. Your observations made the employee nervous and you estimate that the employee worked about 10 percent faster than what is a normal pace for the job. Allowances for the job represent 25 percent of the normal time.

• Question: What are the normal and standard times for this job?

Time Study Example Solution

Normal time = Time worked x (Perf. rating) Number of units produced

= (480 minutes/20) x (1.10)

= 26.4 minutes

Standard time = NT . 1 – Allowances

= (26.4)/(1-0.25)

= 35.2 minutes

Question Bowl

A job is said to be enlarged vertically if the employee is involved with which of the following?

a. The job’s planning b. The job’s organizingc. The job’s inspectingd. All of the abovee. None of the aboveAnswer: d. All of the above

Question Bowl

Research on Sociotechnical Systems have found that individuals or work groups require an integrated pattern of work activities that incorporates which of the following job design principles?

a. Decreased task varietyb. Decreased skill varietyc. Decreased task autonomyd. All of the abovee. None of the above Answer: e. None of the above

(Increases in task variety, skill variety, and task autonomy have all been suggested in the research.)

Question Bowl

Which of the following activities requires the most

typical energy cost in calories per minute?

a. Walking upstairs

b. Writing

c. Chopping wood

d. Typing on a computer

e. Digging Answer: a. Walking upstairs (According to the Calorie Requirements for Various Activities exhibit walking upstairs requires the most calories at 12 per minute.)

Question Bowl

Which of the following is the Normal Time for a job whose observed performance time is 10 minutes and whose performance rating is only 90%?

a. 90 minutesb. 9 minutesc. 1.10 minutesd. 11.111 minutese. None of the above

Answer: b. 9 minutes (10 x 0.90=9 minutes)