Work Study

People are not mere extensions to machines or horsepower to be switched on and off. A worker's performance may be better than a machine's capability - yet a machine may outstrip the human being for many tasks.

People can behurt/injured physically by operating environments or trapped socially and psychologically in them/by them. How operational systems are designed and the jobs and performance relationships within them are of great operational, economic and social importance. In this context then work study is

a collection of techniques used to examine work - what is done and how it is done - so that there is systematic analysis of all the elements, factors, resources and relationships affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of the work being studied.

In the Path of F. W. Taylor

Method study and work measurement are two principal activities of work study which originated in the work of F. W. Taylor (see Rose: 1978). FW's "scientific management" imperatives are:

• investigate the work situation and identify weaknesses - where and why is poor performance happening? The "scientific" title for this approach to management means placing emphasis on
• data gathering and rational analysis
• certain narrow assumptions about the objectivity of efficiency criteria
• the existence of direct, deterministic relationships between worker performance and incentive payments and
• consideration of the worker to some extent as a machine. Thus we can evaluate and introduce improvements in operating methods. This includes type of equipment, its use, layout of operations, supply and use of materials, materials handling, work organisation, effectiveness of planning procedures and so on.
Productivity improvement is the aim.
• we can select staff with characteristics that fit the job, train and reward them using payment schemes the offer particular economic incentive by linking payment to measured performance.

Methods study
- is an analysis of ways of doing work. The memonic SREDIM (a common-sense heuristic or general problem-solving strategy) represents the method study stages

select the tasks to study

record the facts about it

examine these

develop a new method

install/implement it

maintain it

select the tasks

record the facts

analyse them

calculate basic and standard times for the task

agree the method and its related time

However -- having said this - the scope for work study definition and evaluation is useful for operations managers in a general sense. Such roles require data on operational capacities and effectiveness and the use of time and resources. Methods need regular re-evaluation. Some may have evolved and changed over time to become disjointed, patch works that no longer fully serve requirements. The case may need to be put for more staff or new methods and equipment. Such arguments call for data and measurement.

How many extra hours/people are needed? Why? What will the new method offer? Is it possible to change methods? What will be the costs/benefits?

Efficiency Indices

Using data on measured work, unmeasured work and idle time we can attempt to derive effectiveness indices. Constable and New exemplify efficiency and effectiveness indices

efficiency

while performing measured work (ratio of standard/measured hours of work produced and the actual time taken)

effectiveness

which includes

accounting for work done for which no measured time exists. Such work is typically paid for by an agreed hourly/day rate i.e. there is no direct, measured relationship between pay and how much work is actually completed in that hour. Of course a supervisor may pass a judgment or state that the amount of work and its quality are inadequate.

recognition of possible idle time caused e.g. by management not allocating any work, supplier/materials delays, machine breakdowns etc.

Work study/industrial engineers need time data to plan and evaluate production/transformation processes. Rewards systems need such data for performance related bonuses. Cost calculations need to incorporate operative and machine job times Costing systems reference work study data. Work study data contributes to:

Improved methods to raise output, quality, reduce wastage, enhance reliability and ensure safety.

Standard time data contributes to capacity planning, scheduling, control of staff, asset utilisation and quality improvement. Service and after-sales method improvements may be obtained as well as process improvement and better raw materials usage.

Implementation planning for product/service and process design requires a detailed understanding of methods and timings. In a distribution/transport system we can evaluate logistical efficiencies.