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.
 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.
• It has got universal application.
 Advantage 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 utilisation of
resources of the organisation.
6. Helps to achieve better working conditions.
7. Better workplace layout.
8. Improves upon the existing process or methods and helps in
standardisation and simplification.
9. Helps to establish the standard time for an operation or job
which has got application in manpower and production
planning.
Steps involved in work-study
Influence of method and time study on production activities
Concept of work content
• Basic work content
• Excess work content
Reasons for excess work content
• Work content added due to defects in design or
specification of a product
• Bad design of the product.
• Lack of standardisation of components.
• Incorrect specifications and quality standards.
• Faulty design of components.
• Work content added due to inefficient
methods of manufacture
• Improper selection of a manufacturing
process/machine.
• Wrong selection of tools.
• Lack of process standardisation.
• Improper layout of the shop/factory.
• Inefficient methods of material handling.
• Ineffective time added due to shortcomings of the
management
• Bad working conditions.
• Frequent production interruptions due to
breakdowns.
• Poor production planning and control.
• Lack of safety measures.
• Lack of quality mindedness.
• Improper communication (lack of instructions).
• Frequent changes in set-ups (smaller lot size).
• Lack of performance standards.
• Shortage of materials/tools.
• In effective time added due to reasons
attributed to work man

• Unauthorized absence from work.

• Substandard performance.
• Carelessness in working.
• Unnecessary wastage of time (Idleness).
How manufacturing time is made up of
 Techniques to reduce work content

• Management techniques to reduce work content due

to product
Product Development
Standardization
Value analysis
Market research/consumer research
• Management techniques to reduce work
content due to process or methods
Process planning
Methods study
• Management techniques to reduce ineffective
time due to management
Product standardisation and simplification
Product specialization
PPC
Materials control
Plant maintenance
• Management techniques to reduce ineffective
time within control of the workers
Sound personnel policies
operators training
safety training
financial incentives
 Method 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 and more effective
methods and reducing cost.
 Objectives of method study
• Method study is essentially concerned with finding better
ways of doing things. It adds value and increases the
efficiency by eliminating unnecessary operations, avoidable
delays, and other forms of waste.

The improvement in efficiency is achieved

through:
1. Improved layout and design of workplace.
2. Improved and efficient work procedures.
3. Effective utilisation of men, machines, and materials.
4. Improved design or specification of the final product.
objectives of method study techniques are:
(i) To present and analyse true facts
concerning the situation.
(ii) To examine those facts critically.
(iii) To develop the best answer possible
under given circumstances based on critical
examination of facts
Steps involved in method study
Method study procedure
 Job should be selected for the method study based
upon the following consideration

1. Economic Aspects
• Bottleneck operations which are holding up other
production operations.
• Operations involving excessive labour.
• Operations producing lot of scrap or defectives.
• Operations having poor utilisation of resources.
2. Technical Aspects
The method study man should be careful enough to select a
job in which he/she has the technical knowledge and
expertise. A person selecting a job in his/her area of expertise
is going to do full justice
1. Job having in consistent quality.
2. Operations generating lot of scraps.
3. Frequent complaints from workers regarding the job.

3. 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.
1. Workers complaining about unnecessary and tiring work.
2. More frequency of accidents.
3. In consistent earnings.
 Procedure for Method study
Examine
What is actually done ?
Purpose What else could be done ?
What should be done ?
Where is it being done ?
Place Where else could be done ?
Where should be done ?
When is it done ?
Sequence When could be done ?
When should be done ?
Who is doing it ?
Person Who else could do it ?
Who should do I ?
 Procedure for Method study
 DEVELOP
 RECORDING THE FACTS

Related to the existing process/ job ALL THE FACTS should be recorded
ACCURATELY.

TOOLS OF FACT-RECORDING are:

(A) CHARTS, which may be of two types:

(i) Based on SEQUENCE:

(a) Outline Process Chart
(b) Flow Process Chart
(c) Two-Handed Chart ( or Operation
Chart / Left Hand & Right Hand chart)

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 CONTD.
(ii ) Based on TIME scale:

(a) Multiple Activity Chart

(b) SIMO ( SImultaneous MOtion) Chart

(B) DIAGRAMS: which may be of the following

types:
Flow diagram, String Diagram, Travel Chart,
Cyclegraph, & Chronocyclegraph,

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SNO TYPES OF CHARTS PURPOSE
All the operations and inspections are
1 Operation process chart
recorded
Flow process chart
1. Man type All the activites of man are recorded
2 2. Material type All the activites of Material are recorded
All the activites of Equipment are
3. Equipment type
recorded
Two-handed Process chart
Motions of both hands of worker are
3 or
recorded
Left Hand - Right Hand chart
Activities of a group of workers doing a
4 Multiple activity chart
single
5 Flow diagram Records the path of flow of maerial

6 String diagram Records the movement of worker

 PROCESS CHART SYMBOLS
ASME has recommended FIVE standard symbols to be used on
Process Charts, given below:
1. OPERATION : Main steps of the
task /job involving modification /change.
2. INSPECTION: Checking quality / quantity.

3. TRANSPORTATION : For movement of

persons/materials.
4. DELAY (TEMPORARY) : For waiting time of
operators or materials.
5. STORAGE (PERMANENT DELAY)] : For
controlled storage involving authorized
issue/receipt of material etc.
NOTE: FOR TWO PARALLEL EVENTS, BOTH ARE
SHOWN IN ONE JOINT OR COMBINED SYMBOL: e. g.
operation & inspection ,jointly are shown
by symbol, indicated in the figure.
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 THE OUTLINE FLOW PROCESS CHART
• It uses ONLY TWO SYMBOLS:
&
• It provides an OVERALL PICTURE of the process /
job / task.
• Primarily it is used to show the sequence of
operations & inspections for a MANUFACTURING or
an ASSEMBLY kind of jobs.

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 FLOW PROCESSCHART
• It uses ALL THE FIVE SYMBOLS and provides the total sum
details of the process/job under study.
• A Flow Process chart may be of the following types:
[Link]-TYPE in which every symbol is
related to his/her activity only.
[Link] TYPE in which every symbol
is related to the material of the job
or a document (e.g. in offices) or a
machine/equipment.
• Data / information in a flow process chart are recorded in
specifically designed FORM, as given in the TEXT BOOK /
CLASS ROOM.
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Operation Process chart
Flow process chart
 Two Handed Process Chart

• to visualise the complete sequence of activities in a repetitive task.

• to study the work station layout.

Example of Two Handed Process Chart:

Multiple Activity Chart
It is a chart where activities of more than
subject (worker or equipment) are each
recorded on a common time scale to show
their inter-relationship. Multiple activity chart
is made to:
• Study idle time of the man and machines
• Determine number of machines handled by
one operator
• Determine number of operators required in
teamwork to perform the given job.
An Illustration of Multiple Activity Chart
The operator engaged on the machine
performs the following operations:
1. Pick up the job, place it between the jaws of a
hydraulic vice (0.2 min).
2. Make the switch ‘ON’ to tightly hold the part (0.08
min).
3. Make the switch ‘ON’ start automatic cycle of the
operation (0.08 min).
4. Machining of the part on auto cycle (1.5 min).
5. Wait till the vice opens automatically (0.08 min).
6. Pickup the machined job from the vice (0.05 min).
7. Keep it in the tray (0.05 min).
DIAGRAMS
The flow process chart shows the sequence and
nature of movement but it does not clearly show the
path of movements. In the paths of movements,
there are often undesirable features such as
congestion, back tracking and unnecessary long
movements.

(i) To study the different layout plans and thereby select

the most optimal layout.
(ii) To study traffic and frequency over different routes
of the plant.
(iii) Identification of back tracking and obstacles during
movements
Diagrams are of two types:
1. Flow Diagram and 2. String Diagram.
Flow Diagram
Micro- Motion Study
Micro motion study involves the following
steps:
1. Filming the operation to be studied
2. Analysis of the data from the films
3. Making recording of the data.
Therblig
SIMO CHART
• Simultaneous motion cycle chart (SIMO chart) is a
recording technique for micro-motion study.

• It is the micro-motion form of the man type flow

process chart. To prepare simo chart, an elaborate
procedure and use of expensive equipment are
required and this study is justified when the saving
resulting from study will be very high.
CYCLE GRAPH AND CHRONOCYCLE GRAPH

• These are the photographic techniques for the study of path

of movements of an operators hands, fingers, etc. These are
used especially for those movements which are too fast to be
traced by human eye.

Cycle graph and chronocycle graph

PRINCIPLES OF MOTION ECONOMY
• There are a number of principles concerning the
economy of movements which have been developed
as a result of experience and which forms the basis
for the development of improved methods at the
workplace.
• These are first used by Frank Gilbreth, the founder of
motion study and further rearranged and amplified
by Barnes, Maynard and others.
1 The principles are grouped into three headings:
(a) Use of the human body.
(b) Arrangement of workplace.
(c) Design of tools and equipment.
Uses of Human Body When possible:
1. The two hands should begin and complete their movements at
the same time.
2. The two hands should not be idle at the same time except
during periods of rest.
3. Motions of the arms should be made simultaneously.
4: Hand and body motions should be made at the lowest
classification at which it is possible to do the work satisfactorily.
5. Momentum should be employed to help the worker, but
should be reduced to a minimum whenever it has to be
overcome by muscular effort.
6. Continuous curved movements are to be preferred to straight
line motions involving sudden and changes in directions.
Arrangement of the Workplace
• Definite and fixed stations should be provided for all
tools and materials to permit habit formation.
• Tools and materials should be pre-positioned to
reduce searching.
• Gravity fed, bins and containers should be used to
deliver the materials as close to the point of use as
possible.
• Tools, materials, and controls should be located
within a maximum working area and as near to the
worker as possible.
• Materials and tools should be arranged to permit
the best sequence of motions.
• “Drop deliveries” or ejectors should be used wherever possible, so
that the operative does not have to use his hands to dispose of
finished parts.

• Provision should be made for adequate lightning, and a chair of

type and height to permit good posture should be provided.

• The color of the workplace should contrast with that of work and
thus reduce eye fatigue
 Design of Tools and Equipments

• The hands should be relieved of all work of “holding” the work

piece where this can be done by fixture or foot operated device.

• Two or more tools should be combined where possible.

• Where each finger performs some specific movement, as in type

writing, the load should be distributed in accordance with the
inherent capacities of the fingers.

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• The handle design should be in such that it provides maximum
surface area for hands

• The handlebar, cross bar or wheel should be placed so as to

minimize the body movements to get maximum mechanical
advantage

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