What is Work Study?

• Investigate the work done in an organization and it aims to find

the most effective way of using industrial resources like
What is Work Study?
What is Work Study?
 Why work study?

• Garment manufacturer all over the world,

think about “How to reduce the product
cost” to be competitive in the global market.
• Product cost depends on effective utilization of resources
• Main resources are Man, Machine, Materials, Market and Money
• Work study is the technique to control these five resources for the
maximum productivity.
 Aim of work study

• To analyze the work in order to achieve work simplification and

thereby improving productivity of the system

• To have optimum utilization of resources i.e 5M’s

• To evaluate the work content through work measurement

• To set time slandered for various jobs

 work study

• It is the systematic study of work system with the purpose of

1) Developing the preferred system and method (with lowest cost)

2) Standardizing this system and method

3) Determine standard time for the task

4) Assisting in training the worker in the preferred method

 Work Study

• The systematic examination of the method of carrying on activities so as to

improve the effective use of resources and to set up standards of performance
for the activities being carried out.

• Work study uses techniques like “method study” and “work

measurement” to understand human work potential in terms of time
spend on completing a task, looking at ways to make the task simpler
and easy, as to increase productivity and efficiency.

• Work study is field used to finding ways of increasing on job performance,

optimum usage of plant and machinery,
Work Study
 Component of Work Study

• Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of existing and
proposed ways of doing work, as a means of developing and applying easier, more
effective and reducing cost.

• Work measurement is the application of techniques designed to established the time

for a qualified worker to carry out a specified job at a defined level of performance.
examples: stop watch, work sampling, predetermined motion study
 Relation between method and Work measurement

• Method study is concerned with the reduction of the work content and
establishing the one best way of doing the job. It adds value and
increases the efficiency by eliminating unnecessary operations,
avoidable delays and other forms of waste.

• Work measurement is concerned with investigation and reduction of

any ineffective time associated with the job and establishing time
standards for an operation carried out as per the standard method
Applications of work study
 Importance of work study

• 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.
Benefits of work study
 Scope - Method study
• The areas to which method study can be applied successfully in
manufacturing are:
l. To improve work methods and procedures.
2. To determine the best sequence of doing work.
3. To smoothen material flow with minimum of back tracking and to
improve layout.
4. To improve the working conditions and hence to improve labour
efficiency.
5. To improve plant utilization and material utilization
6. Elimination of waste and unproductive operations.
7. To reduce the manufacturing costs through reducing cycle time of
operations.
Method study Steps
 work study – Time Study

• Work measurement is the application of techniques designed to establish the time

for a qualified Worker to carry out a specified job at a defined performance.

• Time study is a work measurement technique for recording the times and rate of
working for the elements of a specialized job carried out under specified
conditions/and for carrying out the job at a defined level of the performance.
 work study – Time Study
• Work measurement refers to the estimation of standard time for an activity, that is the
time allowed for completing one piece of job by using the prescribed method.

• Standard time can be defined as the time taken by an average experienced worker for
the job with provisions for delays beyond the worker's control.

• There are several techniques used for estimation of standard time in industry.
1. Time study,
2. work sampling,
3. standard data, and
4. predetermined motion time system.
work study – Time Study
 work study – Time Study
The main objectives of work measurement:
1. Manpower planning.
2. Production planning and scheduling.
3. Estimating productions costs.
4. Cost reduction and control.
5. Rational basis for incentives.
6. Performance appraisal.
7. Training of employees.
8. Comparing alternative methods.
9. Accepting new orders.
10. Fixing the selling cost.
 work study – Time Study
Standard times for operations are useful for several applications in industry, like
Estimating material, machinery, and equipment requirements.
Estimating production cost per unit as an input to
• Preparation of budgets
• Determination of selling price
• Make or buy decision
Estimating manpower requirements.
Estimating delivery schedules and planning the work
Balancing the work of operators working in a group.
Estimating performance of workers and using that as the basis for incentive payment
to those direct and indirect or labor who show greater productivity.
work study – Time Study
 work study – Time Study

• Standard time is the time allowed to an operator to carry out the

specified task under specified conditions and defined level of
performance.
• The various allowances are added to the normal time as applicable to
get the standard time.
• Standard time may be defined as the, amount of time required to
complete a unit of work:
(a) under existing working conditions,
(b) using the specified method and machinery,
(c) by an operator, able to the work in a proper manner, and
(d) at a standard pace.
 work study – Time Study
Components of Standard time:
• OT – Observed Time
• PRF – Performance Rating Factor
• NT – Normal Time
• PA – Process Allowances
• RPA – Rest and Personal Allowances (Relaxation Allowance)
• SA – Special Allowances( Interference and Contingency
Allowances)
• PoA – Policy Allowances
• PFD – Personal , Fatigue and Delay Allowances =
(PA+RPA+SA)
• The Standard Time is the product of three factors:
• Observed time: The time measured to complete the task.
• Performance rating factor: The pace the person is working at. 90% is working slower than normal, 110% is
working faster than normal, 100% is normal. This factor is calculated by an experienced worker who is
trained to observe and determine the rating.
• Personal, fatigue, and delay (PFD) allowance.
 work study – Time Study equipment
• The following equipments commonly are used for conducting time study.
• (a) Stopwatch : to record time
• (b) Time study board : for affixing time study forms
• (c) Time study forms : affixing on board
• (d) Pencils and erasers : for entering values
• (e) Calculator : calculating equipment
• (f) Measuring tape : measuring equipment for length
• (g) Steel rule : measuring equipment for lengths
• (h) Micrometer : measuring equipment for small lengths
• (i)Spring balance : measuring equipment for weights
• (j) Tachometer : measuring equipment for speeds
 work study – Steps in Time Study

• Step 1:
Record all the necessary information about the job
1. Product information (name of the product, material, quantity, quality
requirements),
2. process information (location of work place, process description, tooling, jigs
and fixtures, layout, speeds and feeds, settings, rate of productions),
3. information about operator (name, level of skill, education, experience, worker
competence etc.),
4. information regarding working conditions (temperature, pressure, humidity,
economical factors, human factors, lighting, level of sound, weather condition,
dust etc.
work study – Steps in Time Study
 work study – Steps in Time Study
• Step 2: Record the method by breaking down the operation into elements to
ensure most effective method and sequence of the motions.

• Step 3: Record the skill and competence of the operator to ensure that 'qualified'
worker is allowed to work that is to be timed. A 'qualified worker' is one who is
neither very skilled nor unskilled but an average; neither highly experienced nor
inexperienced, and so on, so that the measurement is made at any normal level.

• Step 4: Record the time for each element of the operation with the help of
stopwatch or by any other time measuring device or formula. The process of time
taking of the same element may be repeatedly for pre-determined no. of times and
the rate of the worker is to be compared with standard rating
 work study – Steps in Time Study
• Step 5: Compute the basic time for each element by taking the average and then
compute the normal time with the formula;

Normal time = Basic time x Rating factor

• Step 6: Determine the allowances to be added to the normal time to determine the
standard time by using the formula; Add the suitable allowances to compensate for
fatigue, personal needs; contingencies, etc., to give standard time for each element.

Standard time =Normal time + Allowances Factor

 Time study: Allowances

• Relaxation Allowances: basic time intended to provide the worker with the
opportunity to recover from the physiological and psychological effects of carrying
out specified work under specified conditions and to allow attention to personal
needs.
A) Fixed allowances:-
a) Personal needs allowance. It is intended to compensate the operator for the
time necessary to leave, the workplace to attend to personal needs
b) Allowances for basic fatigue. This allowance is given to compensate for energy
·expended during working.

B) Variable Allowance:-
Variable allowance is allowed to an operator who is working under poor
environmental conditions that cannot be improved, added stress and strain in
performing the job.
 Time study: Allowances

• Interference Allowance: It is an allowance of time included into the work

content of the job to compensate the operator for the unavoidable loss of
production

• Contingency Allowance: A contingency allowance is a small allowance of

time which may be included in a standard time to meet legitimate and
expected items of work or delays, the precise measurement of which is
uneconomical because of their in frequent or irregular occurrence.
 work study – Performance rating

• “The process during which the time study engineer compares the performance of
the operator under observation with the observer to own concept of proper
(normal) performance

The Performance Rating or Efficiency = (Observed performance x I00) / Normal

performance
 work study – Performance rating

• The various methods of performance rating are:

• (1) Speed rating, (2) Westing house system of rating, (3) Synthetic rating, and (4) Objective rating.

• Speed rating: the speed of the movements of operator is the only factor considered for rating

• Westing house method of rating: Uses set of criteria to measure the performance like, skill, effort,
consistency, conditions

• Synthetic rating: rating under this method is established by comparing observed time of some of the
manual elements with those of known time values of the elements from predetermined motion and time
studies (PMTS).

• Objective Rating: In this method, the operator's speed is rated against a single standard pace which is
independent of job difficulty.
 work study – Performance rating

• Westinghouse System of Rating:-

This system is based on four factors :
(a) Skill
(b) Effort
(c) Condition
(d) Consistency
 work study – Performance rating

• Westinghouse System of Rating:-

formula for calculation :
Westinghouse rating = Sum of ratings, i.e. rating of (Skill + Effort + Conditions +
Consistency) as given in Westinghouse tables.

Rating Factor = 1 + Westinghouse Rating

Normal Time = Observed time x Rating factor

 work study – Performance rating

• Westinghouse System of Rating:-

Example
The observed time for an element was one minute and the rating were found to be
as follows :
Skill : Fair E1
Effort : Excessive A1
Condition : Good C
Consistency : Excellent B
Determine the normal time or basic time for the element under observation. Also
find the standard time @ 20% allowance.
 work study – Performance rating

• Westinghouse System of Rating:-

Solution
 work study – Performance rating

• Westinghouse System of Rating:-

Example
 work study – Performance rating

• Westinghouse System of Rating:-

Solution
Examples
Examples
Examples
Examples
Examples
Examples

Total Allowance = 15.606X15%+15.606X2%

= 2.653

Standard Time = 15.606+2.653

= 18.259 Minutes
Examples

Production in 8 hrs shift = 450/18.259

= 24.69
= 25 jobs