Operational Management: Work Design and Measurement Chapter Review

35. Correct positioning of
equipment and tools
and also people can
help reduce
inefficient and
ineffectiveness on
workplace

40. ADVANTAGES
For Management:
• Simplifies training
• High productivity
• Less wage costs
For Labor:
• Less education & skill requirements
• Minimum responsibilities
• Less mental effort needed
DISADVANTAGES
For Management:
• Difficult to motivate quality
• Worker dissatisfaction resulting in
absenteeism, high turnover, disruptive
tactics, poor attention to quality…
For Labor:
• Monotonous work
• Limited opportunities for
advancement
• Little control over work
• Little opportunities for self-fulfillment.

47. Self-directed (self-managed teams)
empower to make certain changes in their work
processes. Designed to achieve a higher level of
teamwork and employee involvement.
BENEFITS
•Workers will work harder to ensure that the desired result is achieved.
• Fewer managers needed.
• Higher quality, higher productivity and greater work satisfaction.
• No difficulty in applying team concepts.

50. Changes in tools & equipments
Changes in product design
Changes in
materials/procedures
Gov’t/contractual agreements
Other factors (accidents,
quality problems)

51. Identify the operation to be studied and
gather facts.
If the job is already in process, discuss
the input with the operator &
supervisor.
Study and document present method
using process charts. For new jobs,
develop charts.
Analyze the jobs
Propose new methods.
Install the new methods.
Follow up installation to assure that
improvements have been achieved.

52. OPERATION TO STUDY
1. Have high labor content
2. Done frequently
3. Unsafe, tiring, unpleasant and/or
noisy
4. Designed as problems.
DOCUMENTING PRESENT
METHOD
• Charts
• Graphs
• Verbal Descriptions.
ANALYZING JOB & PROPOSED NEW
METHODS
1. Flow Process Charts
2. Worker-Machine Charts
3. Gang Process Charts
Guidelines for selecting a
job to study.
Provides understanding of the job
and basis for comparison against
revisions

53. Flow Process Chart
Chart used to examine the overall sequence of an operation by
focusing on movements of the operator or flow of materials.

54. Describes the symbols
used in constructing a
flow process chart

61. Illustration of a Flow
Process Chart

63. Checklist of questions
they ask to generate
ideas for improvements.
Examples:

64. 1. Why is there a delay/storage at this point?
2. How can travel distances be shortened/avoided?
3. Can material handling be reduced?
4. Would rearrangement of the workplace result in
greater efficiency?
5. Can similar activities be grouped?
6. Would the use of additional/improved equipment be
helpful?
7. Does the worker have any ideas for improvement?

66. Motion Study Principles –
Guidelines for designing
motion efficient work
procedures. Divided into
three: Principles for the
body, arrangement of
workplace and design of
tools & equipment.
Therbligs –
Basic elemental motions of
a job that can be broken
down.
Micro-motion study –
Use of cameras to slow
down motion so it can be
studied if the job is too
rapid to analyze.

68. (1) Desired accuracy is expressed in percentage of the
mean of the observed times.
(2) Alternate formula used when the desired accuracy is
stated as an amount.

69. OBSERVED TIME
NORMAL TIME
STANDARD TIME

70. STANDARD ELEMENTAL TIMES
“Time standards derived from a firm’s historical time data.”
ADVANTAGES
• Potential savings in cost & effort
• Less disruption in work
• Performance ratings are generally
in average.
DISADVANTAGES
• Times may not exist for enough
standard elements to make it worthy
• File times may be biased or
inaccurate.
PROCEDURE FOR USING THIS METHOD
CONSIST OF THE FF. STEPS:
1. Analyze the job to identify the standard
elements.
2. Check the file for elements that have
historical times and record them. Use
time study to obtain others (if necessary).
3. Modify the file times if necessary
4. Sum the elemental times to obtain the
normal time, and factor in allowances to
obtain the standard time.

71. PREDETERMINED TIME STANDARDS
“Involved the use of published data based on extensive research to
determine standard elemental times.”
Divide the job into basic elements
Measure the distances involved
Rate the difficulty of the element
Refer to appropriate table of data.
Sum of all Basic Elements = Standard Time for the job
Times of basic elements are measured in time
measurement units (TMU)
1 TMU = 0.0006 minutes.
ADVANTAGES OF
PREDETERMINED TIME
STANDARDS
Based on large numbers of workers
in controlled conditions.
Analyst are not required to rate
performance in developing the
standard.
No disruption of operation
Standards are established even
before the job is finished.

73. Work sampling
Two primary uses:
Ratio delay studies & Analysis of non-repetitive
jobs.

74. ADVANTAGES OF WORK SAMPLING OVER STOPWATCH TIME STUDY
1. Observations are spread out over a period of time making results less susceptible to short-term
fluctuations.
2. There is little or no disruption of work
3. Workers are less resentful
4. Studies are less costly & less time-consuming and the skill requirements are less.
5. The study can be interrupted without affecting the results
6. Many different studies can be conducted simultaneously
7. No timing device is required
8. Lends itself to non-repetitive tasks.
DISADVANTAGES
1. There is less detail on the elements of the job
2. Workers may alter their work patterns when they spot the observer resulting in invalid
results.
3. In many cases, there is no record of the method used by the worker.
4. Observers may fail to adhere to a random schedule of observation
5. It is not well suited for short, repetitive tasks.
6. More time may be required to move from one workplace to another and back to satisfy the
randomness requirement.

79. Information
Job design
Method analysis
Motion study
Time standards