Work Measurement: Direct Time Study

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Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of setting standards within the achievement range of the slowest workers?

To contribute to efficiency in the workplace.

What equipment is included in the minimum requirements for conducting a time study program?

Stopwatch (correct)

Pocket calculator (correct)

Time study board (correct)

Time study forms (correct)

What is denoted by 100 on the standard rating and performance scales for qualified workers?

Standard performance

Performance rating is a comparison of the worker's rate of working with a standard level in mind.

True Signup and view all the answers

What is the normal time for the cycle in Question 1?

4.32 min Signup and view all the answers

What is the standard time for the cycle in Question 1?

4.924 min Signup and view all the answers

What is the efficiency of the worker in Question 2?

153.2% Signup and view all the answers

What is the efficiency of the worker if they can produce 225 units in 7.2 hours?

113.4% Signup and view all the answers

At a performance level of 125%, how many units can be produced in 6 hours and 8 minutes of work?

206 units Signup and view all the answers

What is the normal time for a worker machine task if Te and Tnm are both 0.35 minutes?

2.15 minutes Signup and view all the answers

Calculate the standard time (Ts) for the worker machine task if Tnw is 1.8 minutes, Tnm is 0.35 minutes, Tacd is 1.89 minutes, and Tbf is 0.24 minutes.

2.419 minutes Signup and view all the answers

How many units can be produced at a performance level of 125% in 6 hours and 8 minutes of work?

206 units Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of direct time study?

To record the time taken to accomplish a task and compute a standard time. Signup and view all the answers

What are the steps involved in the Direct Time Study Procedure?

Define and document the standard method Signup and view all the answers

In direct time study, an element is a distinct part of a specified job selected for convenience of ______, measurement, and analysis.

observation Signup and view all the answers

Performance rating in direct time study is not necessary as all workers perform at the same pace.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is the total time, in minutes, for the MOST calculation in the first example?

0.24 Signup and view all the answers

What conditions were given in the scenario of transferring boxes (BOX028) in the group activity?

Operator can carry one box at a time and log the activity on the log sheet Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of defining and documenting the standard method in direct time study?

To provide work instructions, identify method improvements, resolve disputes, and create data for future reference. Signup and view all the answers

In the Learning Curve Theory, as the total quantity of units produced doubles, the time per unit declines at some constant __________.

percentage Signup and view all the answers

The Learning Curve Theory suggests that large assembly work typically has a learning rate of 70 to 80 percent.

True Signup and view all the answers

Match the hierarchy of human needs to the corresponding description:

Physiological needs = Corresponding to survival, food, water, and health Safety needs = Include the need for security, in both the physical and psychological sense Social needs = Include the need for attention, friendship, social belonging, and meaningful relationships with coworkers Self-esteem needs = Workers strive for competence and achievement, express a desire for self-respect Self-fulfillment = Achieve all needs, personally fulfilled, and egos satisfied Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Direct Time Study

A method of observing and recording the time taken to accomplish a task using a stopwatch or other timekeeping device.
Five steps in Direct Time Study:
- Define and document the standard method
- Divide the task into work elements
- Time the work elements to obtain the observed time
- Rate the worker's pace to determine the normalized time
- Apply allowances to compute the standard time

Define and document the standard method

Reasons for defining and documenting the standard method:
- Provide work instructions for future batches
- Distinguish if the worker has made method improvements
- Use as a reference document to settle disputes and complaints
- Provide data for a standard data system
Information to be obtained:
- Study number, sheet number, name of the analyst, date of the study, and name of the person approving the study
- Information about the product or part being processed
- Information about the process, method, plant, or machine used
- Information about the workplace layout
- Working conditions (temperature, humidity, lighting, etc.)

Divide the task into work elements

An element is a distinct part of a specified job selected for convenience of observation, measurement, and analysis.
Types of elements:
- Repetitive element: occurs in every work cycle (e.g. picking up a part prior to assembly)
- Occasional element: does not occur in every work cycle, but may occur at regular or irregular intervals (e.g. adjusting machine settings)
- Constant element: basic time remains constant whenever performed (e.g. measuring diameter)
- Variable element: basic time differs in relation to some characteristics of the product, equipment, or process (e.g. sawing wood with a handsaw)
- Manual element: performed by a worker
- Machine element: performed automatically by a machine or process
- Governing element: occupies a longer time within a work cycle than any other element being performed concurrently
- Foreign element: does not form part of the operation being studied (e.g. sanding the edge of a board before planning has been completed)

Time the work elements to obtain the observed time

Two methods:
- Snapback timing method: start and stop the watch at the beginning and end of each element
- Continuous timing method: zero the watch at the beginning of the first cycle and allow it to run continuously throughout the study

Rate the worker's pace to determine the normalized time

Performance rating: necessary when the worker is performing the task at a pace different from the organization's definition of standard or 100% performance.
Performance rating converts the observed time into the normal time, which is the time that would be required at 100% performance.

Apply allowances to compute the standard time

Add allowances for personal time, fatigue, and delays to the normal time to obtain the standard time.

Sample Problems

Various examples of direct time study applications, including manual tasks and worker-machine tasks.### Work Measurement and PMTS
Work Measurement is a technique used to establish the time required to perform a specific task or job.
PMTS (Predetermined Motion Time Systems) is a work measurement technique that deals with microdata analysis of human motions.
PMTS does not use a stopwatch to measure time, reducing inaccuracy.
It works on the assumption that all manual work in an industry is comprised of basic individual motions, which are common in all jobs.

Objectives of PMTS

Compare the time for alternative, proposed methods to examine the economics of proposals before production.
Use time values to construct any time-scale, methods analysis charts, and methods improvement procedures.
Compute an estimate of manpower, equipment, and space requirements prior to production.
Develop tentative layouts for assembly lines prior to construction to minimize subsequent rearrangement and rebalancing.
Determine job time standards.

Steps in Collecting PMTS Data

Select a large number of workers doing various jobs under normal working conditions in industries.
Record job operations on film (micro-motion study).
Analyze the film, note the time taken to complete each element, and compile the data in a table or chart.
Use the table or chart to estimate the time taken for basic motions in a new product.

Methods Time Measurement (MTM-1)

It is a procedure that analyzes any manual operation or method into basic motions required to perform it.
It assigns a predetermined time standard to each motion, determined by the nature of the motion and the conditions under which it is made.
MTM-1 data are the result of frame-by-frame analyses of motion picture films of diversified areas of work.

Maynard Operations Sequence Technique (MOST)

It is a simplified system of MTM developed by Zandin (1980) and originally applied at Saab-Scania in Sweden in 1967.
Analysts can establish standards at least five times faster than with MTM-1, with little sacrifice in accuracy.
MOST is used primarily in industrial settings to set the standard time for a worker to perform a task.
MOST levels: Maxi MOST (higher level), Basic MOST (intermediate level), and Mini MOST (lower level).

The Learning Curve Theory

The theory proposes that as the total quantity of units produced doubles, the time per unit declines at some constant percentage.
Typical rates of learning are: 70-80% for large or fine assembly work, 80-90% for welding, and 90-95% for machining.
The learning curve is a power curve of the form y = kxn when linear graph paper is used.
Counterintuitively, 70% is the highest rate of learning, characteristic of a very manual operation, while 100% would be no learning, for fully automated operations.### The Learning Curve Theory
The learning curve is represented by a curve on log-log paper.
To find the slope of the curve, use the formula: n = Δy / Δx, where n is the slope, Δy is the change in y, and Δx is the change in x.
In the example, n = -0.4152, which means the learning curve is 75%.

Wages and Wage Incentives

To generate highly productive and satisfied workers, a company must reward and recognize employees for effective performance.
Experience shows that workers do not give extra or sustained effort unless some incentive, either direct or indirect, is provided.
Only about 25% of manufacturing employees are currently on incentives, and doubling this figure could lead to large increases in productivity.

Types of Wage Incentives

Day work plans: compensate employees based on the number of hours worked times an established hourly base rate.
- Build healthy employee attitudes and stimulate employee morale.
- May not directly increase productivity.
Flexible compensation plans:
- Include individual incentive plans and group incentive plans.
- Relate worker compensation to output.
- Examples: piecework plans, standard hour plans.
Piecework plans:
- Standards are expressed in money, and operators are rewarded in direct proportion to output.
- Day rate is not guaranteed.
Standard hour plans:
- Offer advantages of piecework and eliminate major legal problems.
- Operate under a day work plan up to 100% productivity, and under piecework beyond 100% productivity.

Employees and Motivation

Industrial engineers must understand psychological and sociological reactions of employees' attitudes toward methods, standards, and wage payment.
Three key points to recognize:
- Most people do not respond favorably to change.
- Job security is a top concern for most workers.
- People have a need for affiliation and are influenced by the group they belong to.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs

Physiological needs: corresponding to survival, food, water, and health.
Safety needs: security, physical and psychological.
Social needs: attention, friendship, social belonging, and meaningful relationships with coworkers.
Self-esteem needs: competence, achievement, self-respect, and ego satisfaction.
Self-fulfillment needs: personal fulfillment, ego satisfaction, and varying individual needs.

Work Study and Measurement

Question 1: Determine the normal time and standard time for a cycle using the snapback timing method.
Question 2: Determine the normal time and standard time for a cycle using the continuous timing method in direct time study.
Question 3: Create a MOST calculation for an activity (putting a thumbmark on a prepared document).

MOST (Maynard Operations Sequence Technique)

A method for analyzing and improving manual and repetitive tasks.
Example: calculating the time for an activity (putting a thumbmark on a prepared document).

Note: MOST is a method for analyzing and improving manual and repetitive tasks. It is not a part of the original text, but it is mentioned in the example question.

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Description

Direct time study is a method to measure the time taken to accomplish a task using a stopwatch, rating the worker's performance level, and computing a standard time by adding an allowance for personal time.