Work measurement studies are used to review task performance efficiencies, to review body effectiveness with movements and ergonomics, and to develop ways to code tasks so they can be repeated by others in the same, efficient ergonomic manner, taking almost exactly same amount of time.
Work measurement studies improve your organization’s productivity and hence boost repeatability, reliability and profitability. Work-studies expose potential for greater efficiency as well as provide a way to approach, identify and increase effectiveness.
If your organization does not already have a formal work measurement study process in place, the first thing to do before performing a study is:
1) Define the Study:
Begin by asking your team clarifying questions such as:
- What are the study objectives?
- What is the purpose for the study?
- How will it be used?
- Describe your desired end-result?
- What stakeholders/departments/groups are involved?
2) Analyze the Current State of the Organization
This includes a deeper review of your processes such as how does the company currently accomplish objectives? Other clarifying questions can include:
- What are your current staffing levels and turn-over rates?
- How effective are your existing policies & procedures?
- Is there any current data available from previous reviews or studies?
3) Design, Then Test the Study
To begin designing your study, go back to the first steps and make use of the gathered information. Use your answers from questions from the first and second steps. Finally, run a test of the study and make any needed refinements.
Why A Work Measurement Study?
Everyone knows that time is money. Hopefully everyone in your organization believes there is “always a better way to make a mouse trap.” e.g., a more effective approach to any specific task. If not a work measurement study of the job performance needs to be conducted. Followed up with PJO (Periodic Job Observation).
Tips for Deciding
Look for and listen to what your people might be saying:
- “we have no clear idea what our production staff personnel are doing with their time”
- “we have a lot of people on the plant floor who seem to be sitting a lot or walking around a lot without doing any work”
- “we just take average of operators” to determine what the work standard should be”
- “we know how long it should take because the other widget is almost the same”
Going Forward
Many organizational leaders have been using MODAPTS because of the reliable times associated to each body part movement required to perform repeatable tasks.
Based on the simple fact that larger body sections take longer amounts of time to move than smaller ones do, it also takes four times as long to move the whole arm outward to obtain a part vs. the use of only the fingers to turn a screw. Also a taller person can walk faster than a shorter person or larger people will take longer to do some tasks then a shorter person and vice-versa.
These kinds of variables can become profoundly important when management is making a wage-labor decision and in certain cases has the option to hire a people with mental challenges who can perform a physical motion task just as well as an able-minded person, but for a lower per-hour cost.
The MODAPTS work measurement system provides a fast, consistent method of determining a “fair day’s work” in manufacturing plants, offices, and rehabilitation centers.
Next Steps
The work measurement study is designed to help managers or owners of small or large enterprises learn how to create fast and reliable work measurement standards. The MODAPTS system describes work in human rather than mechanical terms.
MODAPTS is simple to explain and easy to understand and is an effective ‘coaching tool’ workers can ponder when considering how best to co-operate in a team environment for the benefit of all.
From this simple work study framework, MODAPTS has built an entire system of predetermined macro time standards that accurately predict and ergonomically enhance the performance of any job, task or chore in any company.