BBM 40402: Production Engineering & Control

Tutorial Exercises for Chapter 3: Human Resources Capacity Planning

1. In an work measurement operation, a worker has times of 8.4, 8.6, 8.3, 8.5, 8.7, 8.5 and a performance rating of 110%. What is
the normal time for this operation? Is the worker faster or slower than normal? [Ans: 9.35 seconds]
a) If the allowance factor is 15%, what is the standard time for this operation? [Ans: 11 seconds]
b) If the allowance rating is 18% and the performance rating is now 90%, what is the standard time for this operation?
[Ans: 9.33 seconds]
2. Mandys Bakery is famous for its cupcakes, which are sold primarily to businesses. One of its operator had the following
observed times for gift wrapping in minutes: 2.2, 2.6, 2.3, 2.5, 2.4. The operator has a performance rating of 105% and an
allowance factor of 10%. What is the standard time for gift wrapping? [Ans: 2.8 min]
3. The following tabulated data represent time-study observations for a lab test at Hospital Pandai. On the basis of these
observations, find the standard time for the test. Assume a personal time of 6%, a fatigue allowance of 6% and a delay
allowance of 6%. [Ans: 11.1 min]

Observations (minutes) Performance

Job Element 1 2 3 4 5 Rating
A 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.5 100%
B 2.3 2.5 2.1 2.2 2.4 90%
C 1.7 1.9 1.9 1.4 1.6 120%
D 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.2 100%

4. Kolej Nexus Selatan (KNS) promotes a wide variety of management courses on secretary training. Lecturer Mr. Khoo Nee Seng
believes that a standard time measurement would be necessary to set standards for training future secretary. In order to
measure the standard time, one of the time study is performed on the secretary of the college’s director in terms of mail
preparation task. Based on his observations, Mr. Khoo uses a total allowance factor of 12% and all unusual observations are to
be deleted from the study. What would be the standard time? [Ans: 5.4 min]

Observations (minutes) Performance

Job Element Rating
1 2 3 4 5 6
Typing letter 2.5 3.5 2.8 2.1 2.6 3.3 85%
Typing envelope 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.8 3.1* 0.7 100%
Stuffing Envelope 0.4 0.5 1.9* 0.3 0.6 0.5 95%
# #
Sealing, sorting 1.0 2.9 0.9 1.0 4.4 0.9 125%
#
* secretary stopped to answer phone. Interruption by supervisor

5. A time study of a factory worker has revealed an average observed time of 3.2 minutes, with a standard deviation of 1.28
minutes. The figures were based on a sample of 45 observations. Is this sample adequate in size for the firm to be 99% confident
that the standard time is within 5% of the true value? If not, what would be the proper number of observations? [Ans: n=426]
6. Based on a careful work study in the A100 Enterprise, the results are shown in the following table have been observed for a
reporting service:

Observations (minutes) Performance

Job Element 1 2 3 4 5 Rating
A 35 40 33 42 39 120%
B 12 10 36* 15 13 110%
C 3 3 5 5 4 90%
#
D 15 18 21 17 45 85%
#
* Machine error. Electricity power break-down.
a) Compute the normal time for each work element. [Ans: 45.36, 13.75, 3.6, 15.09]
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BBM 40402: Production Engineering & Control
b) If the allowance for this type of work is 15%, what is the standard time? [Ans: 91.53 min.]
c) How many observations are needed for a 95% confidence level within 5% accuracy? (Hint: calculate the sample
size of each element.) [Ans: 96 samples]

7. Servicing car air-conditioned system at the Proton Service Center in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur involves five work elements. A
process engineer has timed workers performing these tasks seven times, with the results shown in the following table.

Observations (minutes) Performance

Job Element 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rating
A: Inspection of refrigerant 4 5 4 6 4 15* 4 110%
pressure
B: Equipment preparation 6 8 7 6 7 6 7 90%
C: Servicing 15 14 14 12 15 16 13 105%
D: Work inspection 3 4 24* 5 4 3 18* 100
E: Finalizing service report 5 6 8 - 7 6 7 130%
* Talking to supervisors

By agreement with workers, the engineer allows a 10% fatigue factor and a 10% personal time factor. To compute standard time
for the work operation, all observations that appear to be unusual or non-occurring will be excluded. An error of more than 5%
is not desirable.
a) What is the standard time for the task? [Ans: 47.6 min.]
b) How many observations are needed to assure 95% confidence level? [Ans: n = 75 samples]

8. A supervisor wants to determine the percent of time a machine in his production line is idle. He decides to use work sampling,
and his initial estimate is that the machine is idle 20% of the time. How many observations should the supervisor take in order
to be 98% confident that the results will be less than 5% from the true results? [Ans: 347]