Those who work in manufacturing know that their companys job is to ensure every job is done as efficiently and quickly as possible However is there a way to measure something like that You will be happy to know that time studies on plant floors are designed to provide you with a more adequate and comprehensive overview of the allocation of your organizations resources What Are Time Studies We can define a time study as an analysis of the companys production process designed to enhance efficiency and productivity by identifying areas of production where time is often wasted In other words time study is the art of carefully observing and recording the time needed to perform each detailed element or part of an industrial or manufacturing activity The best thing about a time study is that it can lower waste while streamlining the production process Keep in mind that time studies are the most suited for activities and processes that entail a set of repetitive and predictable actions This makes them ideal for factory settings as it is possible to break the production process down into a series of operator movements and sequential tasks You can use time studies to achieve various objectives and goals Compare alternative methods by their basic times Product cost estimates For production control Improve the use of machines materials and workforce Develop a better and more productive physical working environment Formulate useful wage incentive schemes based on target times When conducted properly with adequate planning and careful analysis time studies can deliver a granular and detailed view of how efficiently and quickly work is done on your plant floor It is worth noting that the standard time is an invaluable metric for plant managers looking to enhance production efficiency You can also use a time study to establish KPIs for a manufacturing process and assist in the collection of data in order to predict yearly revenue and output Additionally time studies can be used to identify hidden flaws issues and weaknesses in other aspects of your plant floor such as sub-optimal layouts and placement of workstations and machines Tips for Success 1 Know why you are conducting a time study Why do you want to perform a time study Before starting it is vital to articulate in writing the reasons and motivation for performing a time study This will help you set goals and communicate with employees Remember - most time studies are done merely to learn how long certain activities take but there can be many other reasons Perhaps you feel overall performance is lacking and want to speed it up in new ways 2 Use good sampling procedures You have to follow the best practices for collecting work samples if you want representative and accurate data Firstly you should be aware of the sample size you will use You can determine sample size by a formula based on the power of your sample or its ability to faithfully represent the population with a reasonable and predictable margin of error As you will have to allow for a specific margin of error such as two percent on both ends of the data it is best to collect a sufficiently large sample size so this wont matter too much 3 Decide on a suitable fixed starting and ending point Make sure that your time study is conducted during a time period that accurately represents your organizations typical work environment For instance do not perform your time study while half your employees are away on vacation You should choose a regular and representative period when everything is operating or working as usual and your workers are performing at their standard capacity It is ideal to start by breaking the entire process into separate activities or steps you determine Keep in mind that you can be as in-depth or surface-level as you want The next step in the process is to determine the exact fixed start and endpoints of each step When determining this choose a period thats representative of the overall workflow in your facility within predictable limits These fixed bookend points are important as they give your data reliability and clarity later on With technology advancement many digital platforms and tools allow you to automatically record granular and comprehensive time studies For example you can easily see each operators time spend for each step and compare that against the benchmark or target It is also worth mentioning that cloud computing and IoT connections have allowed for the simple creation maintenance and storage of data on an unmatched scale Computer vision wearable sensors and no-code apps can collect real-time data from your workers As the data collection is now automated it helps eliminate human bias from your sample This connectivity is valuable as it lets engineers or algorithms perform real-time and ongoing studies of processes Time studies can be extremely powerful and valuable tools when used properly and can help you develop a solid and stable foundation for your lean organization The first and most important step toward improving efficiency and productivity is to acquire specific data points on your performance metrics With equipment and machines its simple to predict performance However the humans that operate them are considerably less predictable Time studies help fill this crucial void If you apply these techniques and steps correctly you will likely end up with positive results from your time studies especially in the long run Bryan Christiansen is the founder and CEO of Limble CMMS which helps managers organize automate and streamline their maintenance operations