Work Study

Measuring Work Accurately

Ken Gregson,
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Ken Gregson, (1994) "Measuring Work Accurately", Work Study, Vol. 43 Issue: 2, pp.17-19, https://doi.org/10.1108/
EUM0000000003997
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(1995),"Work measurement – the basic principles revisited", Work Study, Vol. 44 Iss 7 pp. 10-14 <a href="https://
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(1994),"New Developments in Employee Training", Work Study, Vol. 43 Iss 2 pp. 13-16 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/
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 Measuring Work
Accurately
Ken Gregson
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Why Accurate Standards? Thus, if a job is measured and the job, some of which are
It seems so obvious that, when we assigned a standard time of one environmental and some of which are
measure something, we need to standard hour, what is being said is that dependent on the person carrying out
measure it accurately. But is it really the work involved in carrying out the the job.
true? Sometimes a rough and ready job is equivalent to the work involved For example, if it is desired to
estimate is all we need to enable us to in any other job with the same standard establish the time taken to undertake a
make a decision. In fact there are a time, and that if the work is carried out journey from point A to point B, the
number of terms (such as precision and at the defined level of performance following data are first required:
reliability) that crop up to describe inherent in the measurement system
● the means of transport,
measurements and we need to be sure and all allowances included within the
that we understand the relationships standard time (for rest, relaxation or ● the route,
between these terms and their impact whatever) are taken as prescribed, then ● the conditions.
on choosing an appropriate measure- the job should take one hour to
The actual time taken to travel from A
ment system for a given job. complete. In practice, the time taken to
complete the job may vary as a result of to B may vary considerably from one
The term “accuracy” is one which is
the operator working at a different occasion to another, even where the
commonly used about a variety of
level of performance, taking too much method of transport is the same.
measures. However, when dealing with
or too little relaxation allowance, Similarly, most jobs have a number
the times derived from work
machine performance being different of variable factors, associated with the
measurement, the term needs some
explanation. This article is not the from that built into the standard time or work involved. For example, the time
place for a statistical treatment of the any of a number of other reasons. taken to complete an assembly
concept of accuracy. The intention here However the standard time defines operation may vary with the quality of
is to discuss the concept of accuracy the amount of work involved in the job the component parts involved in the
and to highlight the factors which and gives a direct comparison with assembly and the consistency with
contribute to it. other jobs. That is why times can be which they fit together. The aim of a
Accuracy is not a feature of the used as the basis of performance and measurement programme is to provide
measurement system – but of the progress, as the basis of methods a standard time for the “typical” or
results. Reliable measurement systems, comparisons, as the basis of planning “average” situation, so that variations
properly applied, yield accurate results. and scheduling and so on. The in individual cycle times are balanced
When people talk of accuracy they measurement data provide the capacity over the period of performance
often really mean the precision or of each operator, each group, each assessment or planning cycle.
“level of detail”. Thus when talking of machine, etc. The cost of each job can This introduces an important
standard times for short-cycle work, also be calculated since a standard hour concept. When it is desired to have
they suggest that what is needed is an carries a specific wage cost. An “accurate” results over a small time-
accurate measuring system; what is organization that is confident of its period, individual variations must be
really required is a reliable, highly measurement data is also confident of small enough or regular enough to
detailed measuring system capable of its planning, budgeting and costing. balance over the desired time-scale.
producing accurate results with great This confidence arises from This means that the level of detail of
precision. knowledge of the “accuracy” of the the measurement must be sufficiently
The times which are obtained from measurement. high to measure these individual
work measurement are not really time The time taken to complete an variations and take them into account
measures at all. They are really activity varies with a number of in the resulting standard time. Where
measures of the work content of tasks. factors, some of which are inherent in the results of measurement are used

Work Study, Vol. 43 No. 2, 1994, pp. 17-19, © MCB University Press, 0043-8022 WS March/April, 1994 17
 over a lengthy planning cycle or to
measure the performance of a group of
operators, the level of detail required is
less since individual variations are
balanced within the greater global
measure. This relationship between the
precision of measurement, the length
of the planning or measurement cycle
and the collective or group nature of
the eventual measurement is an
important but often neglected issue.
“Ensure that each
operator is
Downloaded by UNIVERSITAS TRISAKTI, User Usakti At 01:11 31 January 2018 (PT)
adequately
trained in the
approved
method
” occurrence of specific variations.
Thus “accurate” standards are not
derived in any absolute sense, but
standards should be determined at the
required level of detail to meet the aims
of the specific measurement prog-
ramme and to provide sufficient
confidence to carry out reliable
planning, budgeting, costing, pricing
and control.
The factors influencing the variation
in actual time for an activity are
discussed below.
Sources of Variation of
Activity Times
Deviations owing to Working
Method/Procedural Changes
In some jobs it is possible for an
operator to carry out the work in
slightly different ways on different
occasions. When a standard time is
specified, it is done so for an approved
method. That is why when mea-
surement is carried out it should be
preceded or accompanied by an
investigation into the method of
working. To reduce variability, it may
be necessary to ensure that each
operator is adequately trained in the
approved method and that this method
is adhered to.
18 Work Study
Over time, variations in method may
be introduced as a result of new ideas,
new equipment, new tools or whatever.
It is therefore necessary to review work
processes and associated standard
times at regular intervals to maintain
reliability and accuracy. This
“maintenance” of work measurement
values is another oft-neglected aspect
of measurement which is responsible
for bringing work measurement into
disrepute as the actual job times and
the measured values move apart with
time.
Deviations owing to Variations
Inherent in the Working Method
Even where there is a prescribed
method and this is adhered to, there
may be variations in cycle time owing
to differences in components, working
conditions, etc. Where a high level of
detail is required in the measurement
programme it may be necessary to
carry out an analysis of such variations
and to establish the frequency of
These can then be built into the
resulting standard time. Again, it is
necessary to review the situation
periodically to ensure that these
frequencies remain valid. For highly
detailed work, it is likely that the
method will be specified in great detail
and thus there is less scope for the
operator to introduce variations into
the working method than in longer-
cycle work where the method may be
specified in outline only.
Deviations Dependent on the
Environmental Conditions
The time taken to complete a job will
vary with the conditions under which it
is performed (changes in temperature,
climate, lighting, etc.). When standards
are set they should be set for a range of
conditions which can be classed as
“normal” for the type of work being
carried out. Such standards obviously
should not be applied when such
conditions fall outside of this “normal”
range.
Operator-dependent Deviations
Naturally, different operators work at
different rates and with different levels
of ability/skill. All good work
measurement systems have some
means of establishing the standard time
for the “average, skilled operator”.
Some systems ask the observer to make
a judgement of the operator (rating); in
other systems the modifying factor is
in-built (e.g. PMTS). The actual
performance of an individual operator
may result in observed or actual cycle
times which are different from the
standard time.
Deviations Dependent on the
Application Technique
There are two basic ways of applying
work measurement. These are:
(1) direct analysis; and
(2) standard data/time formulae.
Direct analysis, as the name suggests,
involves the examination of a specific
job either by observation, by
visualization or by simulation, and the
construction of a standard time based
on the examination.
Standard data/time formulae consist
of systematically compiled sets of time
elements often over a coherent, yet
restricted group of activities. (These
data may have been constructed from
previously undertaken direct analysis.)
The data or formulae are based on
establishing the relationship between
completion time and the dominating
variables for each activity. The data are
arranged to facilitate the synthesis of
times for individual activities or jobs,
in which the values of the variable
factors can be assessed.
Thus, in the first method, the stages
of data determination and data
application are consecutive. In the
second, the data application stage is
quite separate from the data
determination stage.
The intention of the schemes which
follow the second method is to allow
rapid calculation or derivation of times
for individual jobs compared with
using direct analysis. The important
factor is to balance the ease/speed of
use with accuracy. Thus, to simplify a
system may require the averaging or
grouping of a range of variables – the
greater the degree of simplification, the
greater the degree of averaging/
grouping and consequently the greater
the degree of variability of actual
completion times compared with the
derived standards. It is important when
applying such systems to be aware of
this factor and to use the resultant
information only where appropriate.

High
System
deviations
High
Level of detail
Figure 1. System Deviations
The Influence of the
Measurement System on the
Size of the Deviation
System and Applicator Deviations
There are two sources of deviation
when applying a work measurement
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system. These are system deviations –
inherent in the system itself, and
applicator deviations – those resulting
from “misapplication” by the person
using the system. For example, when a
number of people take photographs,
some will use simple, point-and-shoot
cameras with automatic focusing,
exposure settings, etc. and some will
use full function, manual cameras with
a choice of various settings. The
resultant quality of photographs will
depend both on the choice of camera
and on the way it is used. The camera
introduces “system deviations” and the
photographer introduces “applicator
deviations”.
System Deviations
System deviations are those inherent in
the use of a particular system and result
from the averaging/grouping of times
referred to above. These deviations can
be assessed by calculating the standard
deviation of each element in the
measurement system. The relationship
between level of detail and system
deviation is complex but, generally
speaking, the system deviation
increases with the size of the
constituent elements and thus a system
which uses a high level of detail (such
as a first level PTS) will have a low
system deviation.
Thus, where highly detailed, highly
accurate time standards are required
High
Applicator
deviations
High
Level of detail
Figure 2. Applicator Deviations
(for planning of short-cycle jobs over
short time-horizons), it is necessary to
use a measurement system with low
system deviation.
Applicator Deviations
These are deviations introduced by the
user of the system through incorrect
element selection, incorrect application
of time formulae, unreliable rating of
work, errors in calculation, etc. Again,
generally speaking the applicator
deviation increases with element size.
This is because, although the number
of “mistakes” made may be fewer, the
consequence or magnitude of each one
is greater with less possibility of “error
balance” occurring.
“ Different
applicators may
arrive at
different times
for the
same job
” ●
Applicator deviations are important
since it means that different applicators
may arrive at different times for the
same job, or the same applicator will
Deviations Sum of
deviations
High
Level of detail
Figure 3. System and Application Deviations
arrive at a different times for the same
job on different occasions. This can
lead to a loss of confidence in the
system by the applicators themselves
or, more importantly, by those being
measured.
It is essential to ensure that those
carrying out work measurement have
been properly trained in the use of the
particular system and have remained
proficient through regular practice.
The combination of system and
application deviations gives an
optimum performance for each system
at a given level of detail.
Summary
Effective and accurate work mea-
surement arises from:
● choosing a measurement system
that gives a level of detail of
analysis commensurate with the
objectives of the measurement
programme and the length of the
period over which the results of
the measurement are to be
assessed;
● selecting an application method
that produces results of the
required accuracy in an efficient
and cost-effective manner;
ensuring that staff undertaking
work measurement are properly
trained and experienced in the
range of techniques being used.
n
WS March/April, 1994 19