Anytime a company or manager has the ability to accurately predict how long a task will genuinely take – they have the ability to establish consistent payment rates for work performed.
Using predetermined time standards to be set work standards vs. time studies is nothing new. The task being performed is broken down into measurable time components commonly referred to as work elements.
The Importance of Proper Utilization Of Predetermined Time Standards
An over looked advantage of using PDTS is that rates can be developed in the laboratory ahead of time while the product is in the design stage vs. on the production floor after the final part has been made.
Work task performance, a work standard, a piece work rate is a variable that if not properly managed can become an extreme if it is not tracked and easily understood.
A small person may take longer and need more motions to perform a specific task such as loading items onto a high shelf, than a taller person does.
A larger person may need shorter motions to perform the same task as a smaller person as in no. of steps. The number of motions required to perform any specific task will change the amount of time it takes to perform that same task.
A person with mental challenges might perform physical-motion tasks just as effectively as a person without the same difficulties if the task is a simple motion-performance, stuffing parts into a bag for example.
These kinds of variables can become profoundly important when a manager 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.
A manager’s responsibility is to determine what their people must achieve in terms of performing a clearly defined task in a specific amount of time with an expected level of quality. Without having time standards established – especially for often repeated tasks such as storage or assembly – it will not be possible to have fluctuation of set time blocks that are counted in dollars accurately. Accurately developed predetermined time standards deliver the ability to create the time-unit cost that can be predicted and budgeted for accurately.
A direct result from the continuing drive for improvement and incorporating LEAN into company’s cultures has been in the “flatting” of company’s hierarchies. More direct communication between the ‘bosses, (coach), and the ‘subordinate’ has created an atmosphere of increased cooperation and the proliferation of teams with increased personal responsibility.
Using a predetermined time standard system that is simple to explain and easy to understand is an effective ‘coaching tool’ workers can ponder when considering how best to co-operate in a team environment for the benefit of all. This increased autonomy of the individual worker and a need for flexibility helps prevent ‘teams’ of employees from generating a false idea of how long it takes to perform a task by collectively under or over performing.
The MODAPTS® system was designed as a tool for analyzing human work. Its function is to help establish reasonable expectations for the amounts of time that are required for the average human to complete a defined task.
While accuracy of any MODAPTS® system is comparable to most other systems in this category, MODAPTS® is less complex. The system leans into its simplicity of function and use. It incorporates one of the easiest to understand coding systems available.
“MODAPTS®” is an anachronism for MODular Arrangement of Predetermined Time Standards. It is primarily used for:
Establishing reliably calculated production standards
Expanding the production capacity of any organization
Enhancing the relations an organization has with its employees
MODAPTS® is designed to be used manually, and/or with a desktop computer using TaskMaster 2000 Software. (The only software specifically designed for the MODAPTS system). Once a predetermined time standard has been set for specific tasks – the task can then be assigned accurate time allotments and a dollar value for that time spent. Dollar per task rates can then be established, and more accurate quotes and cost estimations become the norm.
Coding for the process is established by the number following the letter. This is the number of “MODs” or motions required to complete the movement. An example of this: “W5” means 5 MODs to walk one step, “G1” means 1 MOD to easily grasp an object with one hand.
The simplicity of this coding data is the primary reason for MODAPTS® broad scale market adoption. Predetermined time standards have become the most reliable approach to establishing labor rates and cost definitions available within the market today. Want enhanced efficiency and increased productivity? Try pre-determining your time standards.
Are you interested in learning more about how predetermined systems can be used to train and teach your employees? If so, contact us for more information. We have helped others, maybe we can help you too.