TIME STUDY
W S William
THE TECHNIQUES OF WORK MEASUREMENT
1. Stop-watch time study
2. Work sampling
3. Predetermined Time Standards(PTS)
A FAIR DAY'S WORK
Amount of work that can be produced by a qualified
employee when working at normal pace and
effectively utilizing his time where work is not
restricted by process limitations.
Work Measurement
Work measurement is 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.
THE QUALIFIED WORKER
A qualified worker is one who is accepted as having
the necessary physical attributes, who possess the
required intelligence and education and who has
acquired the necessary skill and knowledge to carry
out the work in hand to satisfactory standards of
safety, quantity and quality
STANDARD RATING
Rating is the assessment of the worker's rate of
working relative to the observers' concept of the rate
corresponding to standard pace.
STANDARD PERFORMANCE
It is the rate of output which qualified workers
will naturally achieve without over-exertion as
an average over the working day or shift,
provided that they know and adhere to the
specified method and provided that they are
motivated to apply themselves to their work.
Uses of Labor Standards
Costing labor content of products
Planning staffing needs
Estimating time and cost for bids
Planning production (crew size and work balance)
Estimating expected production
Basing wage-incentive plans
Determining employee efficiency
Time Studies
Labor standards are based on observing
worker doing task.
• Observe only a sample of work
• Use average time & pace to set
standard
Disadvantages
• Requires a trained & experienced
analyst
• Standard cannot be set before task is
performed
The Eight Steps to Conducting a Time Study
Define the task to be studies (after a methods
analysis)
Break down the task into precise elements
Decide how many times each element of the
task must be measured
Record the times and rating of performance
for the task elements
Compute the average observed cycle time
(element times adjusted for unusual
influences for each element)
The Eight Steps to Conducting a Time
Study- continued
Compute the normal time for each task
element:
Normal time= (Average actual cycle time ) x
(Rating factor)
Sum the normal times for each element to
develop a total normal time for the task
Compute the standard time:
Total normal time
Standard time= --------------------------
1- Allowance factor
Allowances
Personal time allowance : 4% - 7% of total time use
of restroom etc.
Delay allowance : based upon actual delays that
occur
Fatigue allowance : to compensate for physical or
mental strain, noise level, tediousness, heat and
humidity, assumption of an abnormal position, etc.
Time Study Equations
Total normal time
Standard time = -----------------------------
1- Allowance factor
FACTORS AFFECTING RATE OF WORKING
(outside the control of worker)
1. Variation in the quality of materials used
2. Changes in the operating efficiency of the equipment
3. Changes in climatic and surrounding conditions of operation.
FACTORS WITHIN THE CONTROL OF WORKER
a. Acceptable variations in the quality of the product
b. Variations due to his ability
c. Variations due to his attitude
SCALES OF RATING
0-100
Sample size
How to calculate number of cycles to be studied in case
of stopwatch time study ?
To determine sample size , we must consider:
• How accurate we want to be ?
• The desired level of confidence
• How much variation exists within the job elements
Work Sampling
Labor standard is set using output and %
of time worker spends on tasks
Involves observing worker at random
times over a long period
Advantages
• Less expensive than time studies
• Observer required little training
Disadvantages
• Ineffective for short cycle jobs
Work Sampling
Used for
• Setting labor standards
• Measuring worker performance]
The Five Step Work Sampling
Procedure
Take a preliminary sample to obtain an
estimate of the parameter value
Compute the sample size required
Prepare a schedule for observing the
worker at appropriate times
Observe and record worker activities: rate
worker performance
Determine how workers spend their time
(usually as a percent)
Work Sampling Equations
(Total Time) (% of time working) (Rating)
Normal Time= ------------------------------------------------------
Number of units Produced
Normal Time
Standard Time = ---------------------
1- Allowance
Sample size
How to calculate sample size in case of work sampling ?
Predetermined Time Standards
• Divides work elements into micro-motion
called “therblig” (anagram of Gilbreth)
[ e.g. grasp, position, assemble, reach, hold]
• These micro-motions are measured in Time
Measurement Unit (TMU)
• Each TMU = 0.00001 hour or 0.0006 minutes
Thank you
