WORK STUDY
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.
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. Reduction in
rejections and scrap and higher utilization of resources of the organization.
5. Helps to
achieve better working conditions.
6. Better workplace
layout.
7. Improves upon
the existing process or methods and helps in standardization and
simplification.
8. Helps to
establish the standard time for an operation or job which has got application
in manpower planning, production planning.
Objectives- of
Work Study
The purpose' of
the work study is to improve the total performance of the operating unit, to
maintain performance at the highest level during any given time, and
continuously to improve on that level.
The work study
may be used to determine the methods .. and time standards which govern the
total performance of the workers.‘
This involves the continuous study and
improvement of the activities on which performance depends and the issue of the
time standards used in production planning and control.
Work study. can
be applied to almost all types of work, whether it be a factory, clerical or
any other type of activity. Methods’ improvements have been very successfully
adopted in banks, hospitals, offices, and retailing, in addition to defiance
agriculture and all types of industries. '
METHOD STUDY
Method Study is the first of the two main
divisions of w0rk study and it concerned with the way in which work is done.
Method study is essentially used for finding better ways of doing work. It is a
technique for cost reduction. The philosophy of method study is that 'there is
always a better way of doing a job' and the tools of method study are designed
to systematically arrive at this better way of doing a job.
It is a
technique for improving the efficiency of every type of work, ranging from that
of complete factories to the simplest manual movements used in mass production.
Objectives of
method study
1. The
improvement of processes and procedures.
2. The
improvement of factory, shop and workplace layout.
3.The
improvement of the design of plant and equipment.
4. Economy in
human effort and the reduction of unnecessary fatigue.
5. Improvements
in the use of materials, machines and manpower.
6. The
development of a better physical working environment.
7. Improvement
of quality of the products.
Method Study
Procedure
1. SELECT the work to be
studied and define its boundaries.
2. RECORD the relevant
facts about the job by direct observation and collect such additional data as
may be needed from appropriate sources.
3. EXAMINE the way the job
is being performed and challenge its purpose, place sequence and method of
performance.
4. DEVELOP the most
practical, economic and effective method, drawing on the contributions of those
concerned.
5. EVALUATE different
alternatives to developing a new improved method comparing the
cost-effectiveness of the selected new method with the current method with the
current method of performance.
6. DEFINE the new method,
as a result, in a clear manner and present it to those concerned, i.e., management, supervisors and workers.
7. INSTALL the new method
as a standard practice and train the persons involved in applying it.
8. MAINTAIN the new method
and introduce control procedures to prevent a drifting back to the previous
method of work.
1) Selection of
the Job for Method Study
Cost is the main
criteria for selection of a job, process and department for methods analysis.
To carry out the method study, a job is selected such that the proposed method
achieves one or more of the following results:
(a) Improvement in quality with lesser scrap.
(b) Increased production through better
utilization of resources.
(c) Elimination of unnecessary operations and
movements.
(d) Improved layout leading to smooth flow of
material and a balanced production line.
(e) Improved working conditions.
Considerations
for selection of method study:
- Economic Considerations
The method study
involves cost and time. If sufficient returns are not attained, the whole
exercise will go waste. Thus, the money spent should be justified by the
savings from it. The following guidelines can be used for selecting a job:
(a) Bottleneck operations which are holding
up other production operations.
(b) Operations involving excessive labor.
(c) Operations producing lot of scrap or
defectives.
(d) Operations having poor utilization of
resources.
(e) Backtracking of materials and excessive
movement of materials.
B. Technical
Considerations
The method study
man should be careful enough to select a job in which he has the technical
knowledge and expertise. A person selecting a job in his area of expertise is
going to do full justice.
Other factors
which favor selection in technical aspect are:
1. Job having in
consistent quality.
2. Operations
generating lot of scraps.
3. Frequent
complaints from workers regarding the job.
C. Human
Considerations
Method study
means a change as it is going to affect the way in which the job is done
presently and is not fully accepted by workman and the union. Human considerations
play a vital role in method study. These are some of the situations where human
aspect should be given due importance:
1. Workers
complaining about unnecessary and tiring work.
2. More
frequency of accidents.
3. Inconsistent
earning.
2)Recording Techniques
for Method Study
The next step in
basic procedure, after selecting the work to be studied is to record all facts
relating to the existing method. In order that the activities selected for
investigation may be visualized in their entirety and in order to improve them
through subsequent critical examination, it is essential to have some means of
placing on record all the necessary facts about the existing method. Records
are very much useful to make before and after comparison to assess the effectiveness
of the proposed improved method.
Graphical method
uses five symbols to record the facts related to a method. They are:
Ο ---- OPERATIO
→---- TRANSPORTATION
D ---- DELAY
∇ ----- STORAGE
3) Critical
Examination
Critical
Examination of the recorded, data is the crucial of method study. It is at this
stage that the possible alternatives for each activity are evolved for later
development. Each activity is questioned and challenged thoroughly with a view
to improving the situation. Critical Examination consists of a well designed
questioning pattern in an impartial and objective manner.
4) Developing
the improved method
Development
involves an analysis of all the ideas generated during critical examination and
implementation of these ideas practically. The
selected ideas are then refined
and developed during the development and selection process.
4. Installation
Implementation
of the proposed method is known as installation. The proposal for change in
method is presented to the management indicating the sequential steps that must
be taken to implement the changed proposal.
5.Maintaince
The last step in
the maintenance stage involves performance appraisal. This help to determine
the productivity gains of the proposed method that is evaluated at regular
interval.
Time study
“The application of techniques designed to establish the time for a
qualified worker to carry out a specified job at a defined level of
performance.”
Time study is
also called work measurement. It is essential for both planning and control of
operations.
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