WORK STUDY:

“Work study is a generic term for those techniques, 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.”

Work study is a means of enhancing the production efficiency (productivity) of the firm
by elimination of waste and unnecessary operations. It is a technique to identify non-
value adding operations by investigation of all the factors affecting the job. It is the only
accurate and systematic procedure oriented technique to establish time standards. It is
going to contribute to the profit as the savings will start immediately and continue
throughout the life of the product. Method study and work measurement is part of work
study. Part of method study is motion study, work measurement is also called by the
name ‘Time study’.

Advantages of Work Study

Following are the advantages of work study:
1. It helps to achieve the smooth production flow with minimum interruptions.
2. It helps to reduce the cost of the product by eliminating waste and
unnecessary operations.
3. Better worker-management relations.
4. Meets the delivery commitment.
5. Reduction in rejections and scrap and higher utilization of resources of the
organization.
6. Helps to achieve better working conditions.
7. Better workplace layout.
8. Improves upon the existing process or methods and helps in standardization
and simplification.
9. Helps to establish the standard time for an operation or job which has got
application in manpower planning, production planning.

MOTION STUDY/METHOD STUDY:

The propounder of this concept was Frank Gilbesth. He defined motion study as the “Science
of eliminating wastefulness resulting from ill-directed and inefficient motions”. The main aim
of motion study is to find the scheme of least wastage of labour. Subsequently, the scope of
Motion Study was enlarged and it was named as Method Study.
The method of study can also be defined as “Systematic recording and critical examination of
existing and proposed ways of doing work as a means of developing and applying easier and
more effective method and thereby reducing cost”. Method Study is a technique which
includes the standardisation of equipment, method and working conditions, and training of
the operator to follow the standard method.

The important objectives of the motion study are:

1. To improve the process of doing work

2. To improve the design of work place layout

3. To find the best way of doing a job

 4. To ensure reduced health hazards

5. To minimise the unnecessary human movements

6. To have more effective utilisation of material, machines and workers

7. To train the individual worker in its practice as per standardised method.

Motion Study can be performed in the following steps:

Step I: Break up the operation of the job:
The first step is to prepare a detailed list of all operations in the present method of
manufacturing the job. All details such as material handling, machine work and hand work
are included in the list. This may be done with the help of a process chart or diagrams of
motion and film analysis or models etc.

Step II: Question each detail of the job:

Questions should be asked on himself by the motion study engineer about the way in which
these operations are to be performed, and about the tools and equipment’s needed. The
procedure of this questioning is known as “Critical Examination”.
Step III: Develop a new method:
After considering the above questions a new better method is developed.

Before finalising the new method the following facts should also be thought over during the
motion study:
i) Elimination:
Every operation of the job should be thought and whether it can be eliminated without any
harm.

ii) Combine:
In this context it is to be observed that whether two or more can be combined to save
operation time.

iii) Rearrangement:
If the rearrangement in the sequence of operations helps in simplification or in any other
aspect that it should be done.

For example, in a factory the main sequence of operations was:

a) Assembling.

b) Storage.

c) Inspection.

d) Despatching.

In this sequence, inspection was carried out before despatching and the defective components
were being sent back for correction.

It can be avoided if inspection is carried out before storage, then the sequence can be
rearranged as follows:
a) Assembling.

b) Inspection.

c) Storage.

d) Despatching.

iv) Simplification:
If the operation is possible with any other easy, safe and economical method then that should
be adopted.

The work can be simplified by:

a) Using material handling equipment.
b) Taking useful work by both hands.

c) Using jigs and fixtures.

d) Placing the materials, tools and equipment at proper working place.

Step IV: Installing the new method:

Install the new method as a standard practice.

For installing the new method, the following procedure is followed:

i. The new method must get the approval from the supervisors, workers and management.

ii. Then the workers must be trained to work according to the new method.

iii. Observe the installed method until it runs satisfactory.

Step V: Maintain the new method:

After implementation, care should be taken to maintain it to avoid unauthorised change in the
method.

For maintaining the new method the following steps are advised:
a) A job instruction sheet should be given to the worker.

b) Scheduled checks should be done to compare what is actually being done against the job
instruction sheet.

c) Selection and training of persons must be done according to the job specifications for this
new method.

Recording Techniques – Charting:

Recording is the second step in the basic procedure for Method Study. Just after the selection
of a particular work for study, the relevant information regarding various processes,
inspection, transportation with respect to an existing method or a new method must be
recorded properly. Therefore, for efficient recording the charts have been developed.

The recording of the details will be done in charts to get more clear picture. Apart from that a
record is also needed before and after comparison is to be made to assess the effectiveness of
the study. Charting is the visual representation of recording of facts. It is a technique by
which analysis for developing the method can be done quickly and easily.

For easy understanding care should be taken during the time of the preparation of the chart.

The following details should be given in the chart:

1. It should possess adequate description of all the activities involved in the method.
2. The current and proposed method should be shown.

3. The specific reference about the beginning and end of the activities should be given.

4. It should depict the time and scale followed.

5. It should explain the abbreviations and devices

6. It should possess the date of preparation of the chart.

TIME STUDY:

Time study is defined by ILO as given below:

Time study is a work measurement technique for recording the times and rates of working for
the elements of a specified job carried out under specified conditions and for analyzing the
data so as to obtain the time necessary for carrying out the job at a defined level of
performance.

The famous American Engineer, Frederick Winslow Taylor (also known as the father of
scientific management movement) was the man behind the development of time study. In
addition to Taylor, Frank Gilbreth (along with his wife Lilian Gilbreth) have made lasting
contributions in the field of time study. Taylor’s time study was further refined by an
American Industrial Consultant, Charles E. Bedaux, during 1911.

Before undertaking time study, it is necessary to see that product, shop layout, handling
system, equipment and tooling, materials and parts, lot-size, working conditions, work place
arrangement, work methods and motion sequence, are fully standardized.

Time study is fruitful and most effective in plants having large-scale output of standardized
product, on jobs repetitively performed. Time study is not that much useful for non-
standardized products; it is almost impractical to conduct time study for operators doing a
series of semi-standardized jobs in a random sequence.

Objectives of Time Study

The main objective of time study is to determine by direct observation, the quantum of
human work in a specified task and hence to establish the standard time, within which an
average worker working at a normal pace should complete the task using a specified method.

The other objectives are:

1. To fix a fair output rate for workers

2. To furnish a basis of comparison for determining operating effectiveness.

3. To set labour standard for satisfactory performance.

4. To compare alternative methods in motion study in order to select the best method.
5. To determine standard costs.
6. To determine equipment and labour requirements.

7. To determine basic times/normal times.

8. To determine the number of machines an operator can handle.

9. To balance the work of operators in production or assembly lines.

10. To set the completion schedule for individual operations or jobs.

11. To determine the cycle time for completion of a job.

Advantages of Time Study

The following are the main advantages of time study:

1. Output standards are easily convertible into standard labour cost per unit of output.
2. Output standards serve as yardsticks guiding managerial comparisons of actual and
standard hourly production rates. An operations manager prepares lists showing actual-to-
standard output ratios for each operator and each operator’s group. These reports enable the
supervisor to identify substandard workers, so that they may be brought up to standard
production efficiency.

3. Output standards facilitate scheduling and controlling the flow of production, through the
determination of numbers of machines and operators required to maintain production
schedules and through balancing line production for the several line operations.

4. Output standards also facilitate evaluation of machine capacities, a knowledge of which

aids plant engineers in selecting replacement machines for purchase and use.

5. Time study may be taken for checking operators’ complaints about tight rates.

6. Observation during a time study may enable the engineer to suggest further improvement
in work methods and work-place output.

7. During a time study, the engineer may note inconsistencies in motion sequences used by
individual operators, leading to retraining recommendations. The men involved may then
more easily attain standard output status.

Limitations of Time Study

Since the practice of time study is not pure unadulterated science, it remains subject to certain
limitations. Some of the limitations are as follows:

1. Time study is not suitable for non-repetitive jobs and for non standardized or indirect
labour jobs.

2. It is less suitable on jobs paced by automatic machines than on jobs where operators
control the work place.
3. If an output standard is unattainable, it subverts effective performance by lowering
operator morale, due to the offered but unfulfilled incentive.

4. Coupled to incentive wages, output standards may contribute to under emphasis on the
quality of production.

5. Production cost may be increased due to loose output standards.

6. Unions quite frequently oppose the time study because the accuracy of time study is overly
dependent upon the skill and judgement of the time-study man. The time study engineer must
be well trained and he should have both the background and experience in conducting time
study. Of course, to reduce the area of human judgement, the time study engineer may
employ work sampling technique.