14.2.08T WORK STUDY
Work Study, developed in American industry in the 1920s, has been defined in British
Standard 3138 as follows:
‘A generic term for those techniques, particularly method study and work
measurement which are used in the examination of human work in all its
contexts, and which lead systematically to the investigation of all the factors
which affect the efficiency and economy of the situation being reviewed, in order
to effect improvement’.
Planning cannot be done unless one knows how long it will take to do a particular job.
Time is very important to the manufacturer who must keep his promise, to estimate
quantities, and to other industrial and business arrangements. The need for this managerial
tool arose in the middle of 19th century, when the greater use of machinery and increasing
size of manufacturing units necessitated a more efficient means of controlling production
schedules.
Objectives of Work Study
The reasons why Work Study techniques are utilized in production include the following:
1. To reduce wasteful work, as there will be less fatigue and delays will be cut out.
2. To improve working conditions, methods and layout.
3. To increase production as a result of better use of resources
4. To achieve production cost savings and increase profit margins. This ensures security for
workers as the company will be more successful.
5. To improve productivity of workers and machines thus producing a more efficient
organisation
6. To ensure a steady flow of materials and an equal reward for the same skill and effort.
There will be a happier atmosphere and site relationship with foremen.
7. To establish a standard rate or time for a job by providing information and revealing
inefficiency.
8. Laying down objective training.
Beneficial Results of Work Study
If put to proper use, work study mainly benefits three parties as seen below:
(1) To the firm or organisation – It helps in:
a reduction of cost for higher profits
b more competitive tendering
c better control of management
d proper use of resources
e giving better services to the clients
(2) To the supervisor – Helps him to:
a plan efficiently
b have better control of the operatives
c have easy supervision of work
d do a more rewarding job
e have no disagreements on bonus
, (3) To the operatives – Helps them to have:
a better working conditions
b steady income – bonus targets
c less fatigue at work
d good site relationship with foremen
e good security as the firm will be successful
History of Work Study
Work Study has a long and respectable history stretching back to the 18 th century. Its
development has been a constant process over the centuries, with man endeavouring to find
and improve ways of doing his daily work. Many of these improvements did not cause great
benefit on their own but have, over time, been collected and used by men with wide vision to
produce results and labour conditions of a very high order.
Certain periods in time have also been responsible for creating, through the imagination
of men, many advancements, e.g. the Industrial Revolution, when technical progress
developed at unheard of speed. Wars have also created situations which have produced ideas
at a far quicker rate than would have been expected normally.
Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915): To achieve greater efficiency, the solutions
he came up with were based directly on his own experience at work, initially as a lathe
operator and gang boss at the Midvale Steel Company in Philadelphia, where, in 11 years, he
rose to shop superintendent. Here he investigated problems of industrial organisation, one of
which being the practice of ‘soldiering’, or taking things easy so that work-rates for the job
would be forced up. This resulted in the problem of doing a fair day’s work for a fair day’s
pay, the problem being what constituted a fair day’s work. Taylor tackled this and produced,
after detailed analysis of jobs, ‘standard times’. Unfortunately, the values used for the new
system of payment were based on the performance of the best workers; this created
discontent amongst the average and slower workers, but his work laid the foundation stone of
work measurement.
In 1889 he moved to the Bethlehem Steel Company, where he consolidated his ideas
and conducted some of his most famous experiments in improving labour productivity.
Henry Lawrence Gantt (1861-1919) was a close colleague of Taylor at the Bethlehem
Steel Company, and developed a payment system that allowed even the slowest worker to
benefit while best workers qualified for a handsome bonus. Better use was made of the
foremen because they were sought after by individuals who needed further instructions or
help with faulty machines. As a result, supervision improved, breakdowns were minimized
and delays avoided by all concerned. Eventually individual workers learned to cope on their
own with routine problems.
Possibly Gantt’s production programmes, for which he is remembered, were his biggest
contribution. These are used in industry today and are known as Gantt Charts and show
planning in graphical form in terms of times and the extent to which tasks had been achieved.
Frank (1869-1924) and Lilian Gilbreth have a close relationship with the building
industry for he was a bricklayer in America in the mid-1880s.
As a result of analyzing, and subsequently redesigning, the working methods of typical
,bricklayers he was able to reduce the number of movements in laying bricks from 18 per
brick to 5 per brick, with the result that these bricklayers, when re-trained, increased their
output from an average of 175 to 350 bricks per hour. The study of task movements, or
‘motion study’ as it was known, was a development of Taylor’s ideas and represented the
Gilbreths’ major contribution to basic management techniques. He also developed a scaffold
that could be continually adjusted so that the materials and wall being built were always at
the most efficient height to reduce unnecessary bending and stretching.
14.2.08T12 METHOD STUDY AND WORK MEASUREMENT
The natural division of work study falls between method study and work measurement.
The former is largely concerned with obtaining higher productivity by improving methods of
production. The latter is largely concerned with the establishment of yardsticks for human
effort and, as such, involves the measurement of the time that is required to carry out a
specific job under specified conditions. Either of these aspects of work study can be applied
to problem solving without the other, though often the best results are obtained by a carefully
planned combination of the two. The usual practice is for a method study of some kind to
precede a work measurement activity.
METHOD STUDY
This is the study and recording of an existing or proposed method of doing work, and
by careful and critical examination of the recording produces an easier and more effective
way of doing it.
Method study, when properly used, should result in:
1. higher productivity through an improved production facility (site) layout
2. a better environment for work
3. reduction of danger and fatigue
4. improved quality of work as a result of improved working procedures and use of
materials and manpower
5. better plant and equipment design and use.
Procedure for Method Study
The basic procedure is to:
i) Select the work, operation or process to be studied: The emphasis is usually that of
greater potential cost reduction – direct or indirect. The importance of improving conditions
under which operatives undertake their work should not be overlooked as an indicator for the
priority of selection. Other factors considered are those concerned with reduction of waste
materials, reducing idle time, relieving fatigue and monotony, smoothing the flow of
materials, eliminating unnecessary movement of all resources by improved layout, improving
the quality of productivity and reducing the working capital required to finance work in
progress.
ii) Record all relevant facts relating to current or proposed methods of work. Much of the
data collected is presented in a flow chart form.
iii) Analyze and examine critically the data obtained especially in relation to purpose,
sequence, place, person and means, even to the extent of questioning the very purpose of an
activity, to eliminate unnecessary activities and delays. ‘Is this activity necessary?’ ‘Is this
, the most economical sequence of events in the process?’ ‘What are the alternative ways of
conducting this operation?’
iv) Develop best method of working, which may be simpler and easier to adopt, taking all
the circumstances into account, thus leading to higher productivity.
v) Install new method into operation making sure everyone knows and accepts their new
role(s). Re-training of personnel may be necessary and care may be required in gaining the
cooperation and assistance of those operatives affected by the changes.
vi) Maintain the new method, making sure system does not slip back into old method.
This involves the monitoring and modifying required to keep the method operational.
WORK MEASUREMENT
Work measurement is defined in BS 3138 (1969)as
The application of techniques designed to establish the time for a qualified
worker to carry out a specific job at a defined level of performance.
Work measurement techniques usually follow or overlap with a method study, and are
employed to
1. improve methods of working by the use of comparative times
2. improve planning and control of production and costs
3. reduce costs of resources by providing established yardsticks
4. develop a sound basis for incentive schemes.
Procedure for Work Measurement
When work measurement is linked into a method study, it is introduced at the ‘develop
best method’ stage.
i. describe the method or job to be measured, logically from beginning to end – if
someone is to measure an operation, he must be clear what the operation is.
ii. break job into its elements based on time taken. These elements typically last no
more than 30 seconds.
iii. measure performance of operator – record observed time for each element
generally using a stopwatch for the purpose.
iv. rate performance (basic time). This stage is most vulnerable to mistakes or errors
on the part of the investigator who is required to ‘rate’ the worker, i.e. to decide how
quickly (or slowly!) the worker is working compared with a standard.
v. determine standard time.
PROCESS CHARTS
Process charts provide diagrammatic means for recording the sequence of activities in
an existing method under study. In this way it is possible to have a visual aid to the overall
conception of the method and a sound basis on which to effect improvements. Process charts
of all types are constructed by using five different symbols linked together to represent the
sequence of individual events or activities in the total operation under study. The total
operation must be clearly defined before the study commences, as must be the points where it
commences and where it finishes. The ASME symbols were derived by a committee of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers from those originally used by Gilbreth, and are
now shown.
Work Study, developed in American industry in the 1920s, has been defined in British
Standard 3138 as follows:
‘A generic term for those techniques, particularly method study and work
measurement which are used in the examination of human work in all its
contexts, and which lead systematically to the investigation of all the factors
which affect the efficiency and economy of the situation being reviewed, in order
to effect improvement’.
Planning cannot be done unless one knows how long it will take to do a particular job.
Time is very important to the manufacturer who must keep his promise, to estimate
quantities, and to other industrial and business arrangements. The need for this managerial
tool arose in the middle of 19th century, when the greater use of machinery and increasing
size of manufacturing units necessitated a more efficient means of controlling production
schedules.
Objectives of Work Study
The reasons why Work Study techniques are utilized in production include the following:
1. To reduce wasteful work, as there will be less fatigue and delays will be cut out.
2. To improve working conditions, methods and layout.
3. To increase production as a result of better use of resources
4. To achieve production cost savings and increase profit margins. This ensures security for
workers as the company will be more successful.
5. To improve productivity of workers and machines thus producing a more efficient
organisation
6. To ensure a steady flow of materials and an equal reward for the same skill and effort.
There will be a happier atmosphere and site relationship with foremen.
7. To establish a standard rate or time for a job by providing information and revealing
inefficiency.
8. Laying down objective training.
Beneficial Results of Work Study
If put to proper use, work study mainly benefits three parties as seen below:
(1) To the firm or organisation – It helps in:
a reduction of cost for higher profits
b more competitive tendering
c better control of management
d proper use of resources
e giving better services to the clients
(2) To the supervisor – Helps him to:
a plan efficiently
b have better control of the operatives
c have easy supervision of work
d do a more rewarding job
e have no disagreements on bonus
, (3) To the operatives – Helps them to have:
a better working conditions
b steady income – bonus targets
c less fatigue at work
d good site relationship with foremen
e good security as the firm will be successful
History of Work Study
Work Study has a long and respectable history stretching back to the 18 th century. Its
development has been a constant process over the centuries, with man endeavouring to find
and improve ways of doing his daily work. Many of these improvements did not cause great
benefit on their own but have, over time, been collected and used by men with wide vision to
produce results and labour conditions of a very high order.
Certain periods in time have also been responsible for creating, through the imagination
of men, many advancements, e.g. the Industrial Revolution, when technical progress
developed at unheard of speed. Wars have also created situations which have produced ideas
at a far quicker rate than would have been expected normally.
Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915): To achieve greater efficiency, the solutions
he came up with were based directly on his own experience at work, initially as a lathe
operator and gang boss at the Midvale Steel Company in Philadelphia, where, in 11 years, he
rose to shop superintendent. Here he investigated problems of industrial organisation, one of
which being the practice of ‘soldiering’, or taking things easy so that work-rates for the job
would be forced up. This resulted in the problem of doing a fair day’s work for a fair day’s
pay, the problem being what constituted a fair day’s work. Taylor tackled this and produced,
after detailed analysis of jobs, ‘standard times’. Unfortunately, the values used for the new
system of payment were based on the performance of the best workers; this created
discontent amongst the average and slower workers, but his work laid the foundation stone of
work measurement.
In 1889 he moved to the Bethlehem Steel Company, where he consolidated his ideas
and conducted some of his most famous experiments in improving labour productivity.
Henry Lawrence Gantt (1861-1919) was a close colleague of Taylor at the Bethlehem
Steel Company, and developed a payment system that allowed even the slowest worker to
benefit while best workers qualified for a handsome bonus. Better use was made of the
foremen because they were sought after by individuals who needed further instructions or
help with faulty machines. As a result, supervision improved, breakdowns were minimized
and delays avoided by all concerned. Eventually individual workers learned to cope on their
own with routine problems.
Possibly Gantt’s production programmes, for which he is remembered, were his biggest
contribution. These are used in industry today and are known as Gantt Charts and show
planning in graphical form in terms of times and the extent to which tasks had been achieved.
Frank (1869-1924) and Lilian Gilbreth have a close relationship with the building
industry for he was a bricklayer in America in the mid-1880s.
As a result of analyzing, and subsequently redesigning, the working methods of typical
,bricklayers he was able to reduce the number of movements in laying bricks from 18 per
brick to 5 per brick, with the result that these bricklayers, when re-trained, increased their
output from an average of 175 to 350 bricks per hour. The study of task movements, or
‘motion study’ as it was known, was a development of Taylor’s ideas and represented the
Gilbreths’ major contribution to basic management techniques. He also developed a scaffold
that could be continually adjusted so that the materials and wall being built were always at
the most efficient height to reduce unnecessary bending and stretching.
14.2.08T12 METHOD STUDY AND WORK MEASUREMENT
The natural division of work study falls between method study and work measurement.
The former is largely concerned with obtaining higher productivity by improving methods of
production. The latter is largely concerned with the establishment of yardsticks for human
effort and, as such, involves the measurement of the time that is required to carry out a
specific job under specified conditions. Either of these aspects of work study can be applied
to problem solving without the other, though often the best results are obtained by a carefully
planned combination of the two. The usual practice is for a method study of some kind to
precede a work measurement activity.
METHOD STUDY
This is the study and recording of an existing or proposed method of doing work, and
by careful and critical examination of the recording produces an easier and more effective
way of doing it.
Method study, when properly used, should result in:
1. higher productivity through an improved production facility (site) layout
2. a better environment for work
3. reduction of danger and fatigue
4. improved quality of work as a result of improved working procedures and use of
materials and manpower
5. better plant and equipment design and use.
Procedure for Method Study
The basic procedure is to:
i) Select the work, operation or process to be studied: The emphasis is usually that of
greater potential cost reduction – direct or indirect. The importance of improving conditions
under which operatives undertake their work should not be overlooked as an indicator for the
priority of selection. Other factors considered are those concerned with reduction of waste
materials, reducing idle time, relieving fatigue and monotony, smoothing the flow of
materials, eliminating unnecessary movement of all resources by improved layout, improving
the quality of productivity and reducing the working capital required to finance work in
progress.
ii) Record all relevant facts relating to current or proposed methods of work. Much of the
data collected is presented in a flow chart form.
iii) Analyze and examine critically the data obtained especially in relation to purpose,
sequence, place, person and means, even to the extent of questioning the very purpose of an
activity, to eliminate unnecessary activities and delays. ‘Is this activity necessary?’ ‘Is this
, the most economical sequence of events in the process?’ ‘What are the alternative ways of
conducting this operation?’
iv) Develop best method of working, which may be simpler and easier to adopt, taking all
the circumstances into account, thus leading to higher productivity.
v) Install new method into operation making sure everyone knows and accepts their new
role(s). Re-training of personnel may be necessary and care may be required in gaining the
cooperation and assistance of those operatives affected by the changes.
vi) Maintain the new method, making sure system does not slip back into old method.
This involves the monitoring and modifying required to keep the method operational.
WORK MEASUREMENT
Work measurement is defined in BS 3138 (1969)as
The application of techniques designed to establish the time for a qualified
worker to carry out a specific job at a defined level of performance.
Work measurement techniques usually follow or overlap with a method study, and are
employed to
1. improve methods of working by the use of comparative times
2. improve planning and control of production and costs
3. reduce costs of resources by providing established yardsticks
4. develop a sound basis for incentive schemes.
Procedure for Work Measurement
When work measurement is linked into a method study, it is introduced at the ‘develop
best method’ stage.
i. describe the method or job to be measured, logically from beginning to end – if
someone is to measure an operation, he must be clear what the operation is.
ii. break job into its elements based on time taken. These elements typically last no
more than 30 seconds.
iii. measure performance of operator – record observed time for each element
generally using a stopwatch for the purpose.
iv. rate performance (basic time). This stage is most vulnerable to mistakes or errors
on the part of the investigator who is required to ‘rate’ the worker, i.e. to decide how
quickly (or slowly!) the worker is working compared with a standard.
v. determine standard time.
PROCESS CHARTS
Process charts provide diagrammatic means for recording the sequence of activities in
an existing method under study. In this way it is possible to have a visual aid to the overall
conception of the method and a sound basis on which to effect improvements. Process charts
of all types are constructed by using five different symbols linked together to represent the
sequence of individual events or activities in the total operation under study. The total
operation must be clearly defined before the study commences, as must be the points where it
commences and where it finishes. The ASME symbols were derived by a committee of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers from those originally used by Gilbreth, and are
now shown.
