Lecture 1:

Introduction
INDE 320: Work Measurement and Methods
Engineering Adapted from Dr. Nadine Moacdieh
Presented by Dr. Karim Zahed
January 16, 2025

Adapted from Freivalds & Niebel

(2013) Chapter 1
How to do well in this
class
• Stay on track with the material
• Put time and effort into your
assignments
• Ask questions when you do not
understand
– It is your responsibility to come to office
hours to ask about assignments or class
material
• Get in touch if there is an issue
Some rules
• Any cheating on assignments, projects, or
exams results
in a grade of zero for all concerned
(grade not dropped)
• Late homework is not accepted
• Raise your hand in class if you have a
comment or question.
Introduction

What is work
measurement
and methods
engineering?
Introduction
• Industrial engineering is the
design and improvement of
systems and processes

Materials

Machines
,
tools

Syste
m
Informat
Systems

Manufacturin Business
g

Transportatio Medicine
n

Construction Logistics
Goals of Industrial
Engineering
• Maximize profit and safety by making
everything optimal

Maximi
Maximize
ze
quality
efficien
cy
Maximize
Minimize
worker
waste
wellbeing
Introduction

Work
measurem
ent and
methods
Human
factors
and
Supply
chain
Industri
Qualit
ergonomi
cs
manageme
nt Eal y
g
contr
ol Operatio
ngineer
Project
ns
researc

in
manageme
nt
h
Introduction

What is work
measurement
and methods
engineering?
Introduction

What is
work
measurem
ent and
methods
engineerin
g?

Determin
Design
e the Work Methods
the
time to measurem engineeri
ent ng optimal
achieve
work
a certain
system
task
How can I make my system
better?
 better
How can I make my system more
efficient? ?
 Make
improvements
Understand Determine
the the
current future
system state
Course sections

2.
1. Understandi
Introductio ng the
n system

3. Improving 4. Uses
the of
system standar
ds
Course sections

2.
1. Understandi
Introductio ng the
n system

3. Improving 4. Uses
the of
system standar
ds
DMAIC
Objective
Know the definition of productivity why
productivity is important
Learn about methods engineering and
important contributions to the field

17
Productivity of a process
Is the ratio of output in goods and services to the
input
Labor productivity ratio (LPR)
LPR = WU/LH
WU = work units of output
LH = labor hours of input

LPR measures efficiency in manufacturing,

service and government

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MANUFACTURING
Globally

19
Productivity dilemma
How to increase output and decrease
input?
It does not mean to increase the workload
Key to productivity increase are
Cost reduction and
Quality and reliability improvement

20
Let’s look at Adam Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KWUdliOGuc

21
 What is methods
engineering ?
Analysis of direct and indirect operations to make
work easier to perform, regarding worker health
and safety, with greater profitability
Easier to perform = less time or with less
investment per unit

22
Picture source: http://industrialtimestudy.com/timestudy-methods/
 Productivity components

Labor

• Employee involvement
Management
Capital • Incentives
commitment
• Training

They need intelligent

application of
• New Technology (research
methods, standards and
and development) work design (i.e. • Management attitude
• Automation ergonomics) techniques • Financial evaluation criteria:
• New material handling long term vs. short term
equipment growth indexes

23
Effect of methods engineering on
company Ops

24
Source: Figure 1.1 Freivalds Textbook.
 Opportunities to reduce the time of an
operation through methods engineering

Material

Manufacturing
methods

Management

Worker
25
Source: Figure 1.2 Freivalds Textbook
History of the study of
work
Labor specialization (around 1644 B.C.)
Minimum wage (Babylonians 1950 B.C.)
Industrial Revolution (England around 1770)
Transfer of skill from workers to machines
Start of the machine tool industry (lathes and other metal-cutting
machines)
Introduction of specialization of labor principle

Eli Whitney (1765-1825) introduced the concept

of interchangeable parts, a prerequisite for mass
production and assembly lines for manufacturing
products in the US

26
 Contribution from IE to productivity
improvement
Frederick Taylor (1865-1915)
American, father of Scientific Management for his
application of systematic approaches to the study and
improvement of work
Published The Principles of Scientific management (1911).
Here he described scientific ways to improve productivity
His studies were motivated from seeing inefficiencies in
steel workers/factories
He established work standards via time studies

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Shoveling experiment
done by Taylor
Each yard worker brought his
own shovel to work
Shovels were of different sizes
Workers shoveled different
materials (ashes, coal, iron ore)
Taylor offered to the workers 8
specialized shovels for handling
the different materials and to
maximize the amount of work
done each day
Cost of handling the materials
decreased from 8 cents/ton to 3
cents/ton (workers daily output
went from 16 to 59 tons)

Picture: Part of the Bethlehem steel

company. 28
Pig iron handling
experiment done by
Taylor
Pig iron is crude iron produced in a
blast surface and poured into
molds in preparation to make
steels, alloys, etc.
Taylor confronted “Schmidt”, an
iron picker, with the opportunity to
earn $1.85 per day if he followed
instructions
“Schmidt”, real name Henry Knoll
(1871-1925), had a daily wage of
$1.15 in 1899
“Schmidt” was able to
consistently load 47 tons per day
following the improved method
that included shorter but more
frequent breaks, and changes in
the way the iron was pick up,
carried and drop off Picture: The history of the Pig Iron experiment is on 4th street
Bethlehem South Side Downtown.

29
Other contribution from IE to
productivity improvement
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (First lady of
Engineering)
Developed “Motion Study”, a study of the body motions
and their proper sequence
Introduced “micro-motion study”, a breakdown of work
into fundamental elements called therbligs
Lillian worked in General Electric as an IE. She also helped
the handicapped by designing an ideal kitchen layout for
people with heart disease
They thought there is “one best method” to perform a
given task” and also applied this to their personal life

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 Important names in Methods
Engineering

Frederick Taylor Frank Bunker Gilbreth Lillian Evelyn Moller

(Philadelphia, (Maine,1868 – 1924) (California, 1878 – 1972)
1865-1915) Lecturer at Purdue University. Like her husband she lectured at
Introduced his ideas into the Purdue University
bricklayer’s trade

The Gilbreth Kitchen Practical

More about Lillian Moller Gilbreth at
https://www.asme.org/career-education/articles/management-pro
fessional-practice/lillian-moller-gilbreth

Picture source:
https://jamarattigan.com/2014/09/02/review-and- 31
author-chat-monica-kulling-on-spic-and-span-lillian-
gilbreths-wonder-kitchen/
Recent trends in the study of
work
• Increases in work-related illnesses
• Automation
• Industry 4.0 and 5.0
• Interests in life-balance, diversity and
inclusion
• Virtual offices

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FUTURE OF WORK

33
Summary
• Key words
• Productivity
• Motion study
• Time study and time standards
• Work design (human factors or ergonomics).
• If methods or time standard changes cause injury to
operators
• -> Productivity improvements will be negated by increased medical and safety costs

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Assignment
• Make sure to read the course syllabus on
Moodle
• Summary of Wealth of Nations
• https://www.adamsmith.org/the-wealth-of-nations

• Assignment 0: Introduce yourself on

Moodle
• And what did you learn from reading
Wealth of Nations Summary
• Deadline: January 23

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