How to Perform a Time Study

Since the emergence of Taylorism in the 1880’s (a system of scientific management

developed by Frederick W. Taylor), industrial production has been broken down into its
most basic elements to obtain the greatest efficiency. To obtain this level of efficiency,
one must analyze all of these basic elements to develop the most effect production
method. One of the most essential elements is the standard assembly time of the
assembly line being developed. There are several methods to obtain a standard time,
each more accurate than the others depending on some factors of the assembly (time
to assemble, cyclical v. asynchronous assembly, complexity of motions, etc.). A time
study is the most common method to obtain a standard time and is accurate for most
assemblies, being very accurate for any cyclical assembly. A cyclical assembly is an
assembly that repeats the same cycle each time the assembly is completed.

Performing a time study consists of 3 main tasks. The first task involves observing and
setting up. To do this, you will observe the assembly to break it down into steps
(elements). Using this information, you will set up the time study form (one is provided
with this instruction set), and gather all the materials needed to begin the study. The
second task involves gathering the data. You will observe the task again, simply
recording the times it takes to perform each step of the assembly. The third task is the
analysis of the data. The analysis involves using the data you gather to determine the
standard time for the assembly.

WARNING! READ BEFORE ATTEMPTING

This instruction set is assuming you are observing an assembly in a factory setting.
While there are no dangers involved in the time study itself, FACTORIES ARE
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AREAS. Please become informed of the potential safety
hazards of the factory you are in and FOLLOW ALL OF THE SAFETY
PROCEDURES. Serious injury or death can occur in a factory, so do not ignore this
warning.

Required Materials
 Time Study Form (provided on next page)
 Timing Device (must have a lap timing setting)
 Pen/Pencil
 Safety Equipment (as required by factory, e.g. safety goggles)
 Clipboard
Time Study Observation Form

UT OT UT
OT OT f4T

8umma
Tatal OF

Tatal NT

e NT
% Allow ance
Elemental

Standard Ti me

Total Standard Time {sum sWdard âw few aJ I elements}

Finis hi Tim
Starti ng Ti me
Elapsed Time

otal Alliance %
atal Cheek Ti me
Effecuve Ti me
I neffecfive Time
atal Recc<ded Ti me
SyuWetic Ti me Unaosoun ed Time
Observed Ti me
 Procedure
This section breaks down each of the three tasks (observe/set-up, gather data, analyze)
into basic steps. To ease your understanding, it will also follow the assembly of a pen
as a basic example to describe how to complete the time study from beginning to end.
Follow the procedure in sequence to complete the study.

Task 1: Observe/Set-up

Step 1: Watch the assembly until

you feel familiar with the process.

Step 2: Define a clear beginning/end

point of the complete assembly.

Note: This cannot be ambiguous. You

will need to define the exact point that
the assembly ends, not the step. In the
example, this is when the operator
(person performing the assembly)
releases the completely assembled pen
from his hand. Notice that if this point
was defined as “assembly complete”, Beginning/end point for pen
one may record the time when the cap is assembly
finally placed on the pen during one cycle
then the point when the pen is set down
during the next cycle. This will cause
inconsistency in the study.
Step 3: Break the rest of the assembly
down into clear steps. Define a clear
end point for each step.

Note: Just as in step 2, the end point

must be a clear, consistent point.
The end point of each step
is the point where you will click the “lap”
button on your timing device.
 Step 4: Record each step you have
defined in the top row, directly adjacent of
the corner labeled “Element No. and
Description”, numbering each element in
the top-left corner in the order they occur.
The red labels are the steps for the pen
Note: Label the steps (elements) from left assembly
to right in the order they occur. This will
be important when you retrieve the times
from your timing device.
Step 5: Gather a timing device, pencil,
clipboard, and the time study form. Attach
the form to the clipboard. Proceed to the
area where you can observe the
assembly. Set the timing device to the lap
timing setting.

Note: Be sure to have a place where you

can clearly observe each step of the
assembly so that
you do not miss any of the steps.

Task 2: Gather Data

In this section you will need to decide how you will record the times gathered. Most
commonly seconds are used. Some will use hundredths of a minute.

Step 1: Observe the assembly until

the operator reaches the beginning/end
point of the assembly. Start the timer
when this point occurs.
Step 2: Click the lap button on the
timer when the end point of each
element occurs. Record the rating you
determine at the end each step.
Continue this process until you observe
18 cycles (18 complete assemblies). The red numbers are the ratings that
have been recorded for the pen
Note: Do not record the times during the assembly
observation, you will do this later. The
rating is a value describing the speed at
which the operator is working relative to
an average operator. A 100 rating means
that the operator is working at the
standard pace. Below a 100 means the
operator is
working slower than the standard pace,
and above 100 means the operator is
working faster.
 Step 3: Use the recall function on your
timing device to view the time recorded for
the first step of the first cycle. Record this
time on the time study form under the
column labeled W. Continue to record The times in the “W” column are
sequential times in the corresponding box the times recorded from the
until all times have been recorded. stop watch

Note: You should be recording the total

time in the column labeled W, because
this is how most timing devices will read
(i.e. if the first step took 10
seconds and the second step took 5
seconds, it should read 10 then 15).

Task 3: Analyze

This section will describe how to fill out the time study observation form and
determine the standard assembly time. The “Time Check”, “Foreign Elements”, and
“Rating Check” sections will not be filled out, for most time studies will not take this
into consideration.

Step 1: Record the actual time it took

to perform each individual step under
the column labeled OT (observed time).
To get this time, subtract the time under
the W column for the previous step from
the time under W for the step you are
calculating the observed time for.
The numbers in the “OT” column are the
observed times for the pen assembly. As you
can see, this was calculated by subtracting
preceding “W” values.
Step 2: Multiply the observed time
(OT) for each step by the rating (as a
percentage; refer to the equation
below). Record this number in the
column labeled NT (normal time).

NT=(OT)*(Rating/100)
The numbers in the “NT” column are the
normal times calculated using the
formula to the left.
Step 3: Refer to the Allowance
section at the bottom right-hand side of
the page. Record the allowances,
determined by several factors of the
assembly, in the corresponding boxes.
Sum these values and record in the
box labeled “Total Allowances %”.
These allowances were determined using
Note: The different allowance values
the ILO Recommended Allowances. If your
can be found in many sources. The
company does not provide allowances, this
allowance is determined by the
table may be used.
company. So, to get this number, you
will have to consult your company.
Step 4: Sum the observed times
(OT column) for each step in the
assembly individually. Record these
values in the “Summary Section” in
the box labeled “Total OT”
corresponding to the step.

Step 5: Sum the normal times (NT

column) for each step in the assembly
individually.
Record these values in the “Summary
Section” in the box labeled “Total NT”
corresponding to the step.

Step 6: Divide the total normal time

by the total observed time for each
step to calculate the rating. Record
this number in the box labeled
“Rating” corresponding to the step.

1.5/1.5 = 100
Step 7: Record the number of cycles
observed in the box labeled “No.
Observations”.

Step 8: Divide the total normal time

for each step by the number of
occurrences. Record this value in the
box labeled “Average NT”
corresponding to the step.

1.5/2 = 0.75

Step 9: Record the % allowance you

determined in step 3 in the box
labeled “% allowance”. Use the below
formula to calculate the standard time
for each step. Record this value in the
box labeled “Standard Time”
corresponding to the step.

Standard Time = NT*(1 + %

allowance/100) 0.75*(1 + 9/100) = 0.8175

Note: The % allowance should be a

whole number. Ignore the boxes
labeled “Elemental” and “No.
Occurrences”.
Step 10: Sum the standard times you
have calculated for each step and
record it in the box labeled “Total As you can see, the red number (2.1964) is
Standard Time”. This is the standard the standard assembly time for the pen.
time for the assembly. Note that this is the sum of the standard
times from the three steps in
the image from step
9.
 Glossary
 Observed Time: The exact amount of time that was observed to complete
the assembly or step
 Normal Time: The adjusted observed time for the assembly or step. The
adjustment is calculated by determining if the operator was moving at a fast
or slow pace.
 Standard Time: The adjusted normal time for the assembly or step. The
adjustment is calculated by determining the % allowance for the
assembly.
 Rating: A value describing the rate at which an operator is performing. A value
of 100 is given for a standard rate, with the number increasing for a faster rate
and decreasing for a slower rate.
 % Allowance: A value describing how the normal time will change, based
on fatigue andpersonal needs of the operator.

Troubleshooting
Problem Solution
The assembly consists of more Use a second form, recording the
than six steps/elements. additional steps on this sheet. Perform
the “analyze” task as you would for a
single sheet.
A step occurs more than once Make this step a separate step for
during each assembly. each time it occurs. (e.g. combine
components 1, combine components
2)
A step occurs too quickly to accurately Combine this step with the preceding or
time following step.