3.

ii
Method Study

Source: Introduction to Work Study, By International Labour Office, Geneva,

Chp. No. , From Pg No.
 3.ii Method Study

 Man, Machines, Materials, Money, Technology and

Time are the main resources required to produce goods
and are to be deployed in the most effective manner

 We have to select the best available combination of

these resources at any point of time.

Method Study helps in analysing the existing

methods and develop a more efficient method for
future.
 3.2.A Definition And Objective of Method Study
Method Study is the systematic recording and
critical examination of existing and proposed
ways of doing work, as a means of developing
and applying easier and more effective
methods and reducing costs.

The objectives of Method Study are :

– Improvement of processes and procedures
– Improvement in the design of plant and
equipment
– Improvement of plant layout.
– Improvement in the use of men, materials and
 Definition And Objective of Method Study

– Improvement in the flow of production and

process.
– Economy in human effort and the reduction
of unnecessary fatigue.
– Method Standardization
– Improvement in safety standards.
– Development of a better physical working
environment
 Working Conditions And Influence

Good working conditions contribute to

improvement in productivity.
The following are a few
– Occupational safety and health conditions
– Fire prevention and protection
– Layout and house keeping (5S)
– Lighting and Ventilation
– Noise and Vibration
– Ergonomics
– Arrangement of working Time
 Procedure
The solution of any problem follows the
following sequence of phases in that order :

Define: The problem.

Record: All the facts relevant to the problem.
Examine: The facts critically but impartially.
Consider: The courses of actions (possible
solutions) and decide which to follow.
Implement: The solution.
Follow Up: The development.

The basic procedure for the whole of work

study, which embraces the procedures of both
method study and work measurement.
Contd…
 Procedure…

Steps and Procedure to conduct Method

Study :

Select: the work to be studied.

Record: all the relevant facts about the
present method by direct observation.
Examine: those facts critically and in an
orderly sequence, using the techniques
best suited to the purpose.
Develop: the most practical, economic and
effective method, having due regard to all
contingent circumstances.
 Procedure…

Define: the new method so that it can

always be identified.

Install: that methods as standard practice.

Maintain: that standard practice by regular

routine checks.
These are the seven essential stages in the
application of method study ; none can be
excluded. Strict adherence to the sequence, as
well as to their content, is essential for the
success of an investigation. They are shown
diagrammatically on the chart.
 Method Study Select

Method Study
to improve
methods of production Work which can be studied
With economic advantage
Define Scope of Study At Work Place
At Work
Record By means of
Place
By means of
Outline Process ; Charts
Two handed ; Simo ; Multiple
Charts Flow Process – Man type , Material
Activity
type ;
Multiple Activity ; Travel Cycle Graphs ; Chronocycle Graphs Other Means
Other Means Flow Diagrams ; String Diagrams ; ;
Models Film Analysis ; Memotion
Examine the facts
Photography
critically
Challeng
e
PURPOSE – PLACE – SEQUENCE – PERSON - MEANS
Seek
Alternatives
Find
Pointers
Eliminat Combine or Simplify
e Change
Develo
A record pof an improved
method
Re -
Planning and Control that record
Examineto Mechanical Aids ;
Materials Handling establish Manual Controls and Visual
The Best Method under Prevailing Circumstances instruments
General Environment and
Equipment design ; Jigs and
Working Conditions Defin fixtures
Plant Layout e Local Working Conditions
Install
The Improved
method
Plan - Arrange -
Implement
Maintai
n
Verify at regular intervals that
The important method as defined is in fact in use

To achieve
improved factory and work space
layout
Improved design of equipment Higher
Better working conditions Productivity
Reduction of fatigue
Resulting in improved use of material
Plant and equipment
 Selection Of Job
Factors o be considered in selecting a job for
method study:
Economic Consideration.
Technical Consideration.
Human Reactions.
Economic Consideration.
The cost of the study should be estimated
and examined: short-term & Long-term.
The loss of time due to the investigation.
For any job, if accumulated estimated
benefits from the recommended method
outweighs the estimated total cost then we
should take-up the job under study –
Discounted Cash Flow Technique (DCF) or
 Selection Of Job…

Under Preliminary Considerations, the

early job choices are:
Bottlenecks: which are holding up
other production operations.
Movements of material over long
distances: between shops or
operations involving a great deal of
manpower or where there is repeated
handling of material.
Operations involving repetitive
work: using a great deal of labour
 Selection Of Job…

Technical Considerations: Make sure that

adequate technical knowledge is available with
which to carry out the study.
Human Reactions: These are the most
important factors to be taken into consideration
since mental and emotional reactions to
investigation, and change of method have to be
anticipated.
 The Field Of Choice

Types of Jobs Examples Recording Technique

Complete Manufacture of an electric motor Outline process chart
Sequence of from raw material to dispatch Flow process chart
manufacture Transformation of thread into cloth Flow diagram
from preparation to inspection
Receipt, packing and dispatch of
fruit

Factory layout : Movements of a diesel engine Outline process chart

movement of cylinder head through all machining Flow process chart–
materials operations. material type
Movements of grain between milling Flow diagram
operations Travel chart
Models
 The Field Of Choice…
Types of Jobs Examples Recording Technique
Factory layout Labourers servicing spinning Flow process chart-man
: movement of machine with bobbins type string diagram
workers Cooks preparing meals in a String diagram
restaurant kitchen

Handling of Putting materials into and taking Flow process chart –

materials them out of stores material type
Loading lorries with finished Flow diagram
products. String diagram

Workplace Light assembly work on a bench Flow process chart-man

layout Typesetting by hand type. Two-handed
process chart. Multiple
activity chart. Simo chart.
Cyclegraph.
Chronocyclegraph.
 The Field Of Choice…

Types of Jobs Examples Recording Technique

Gang work or Assembly line Multiple activity chart
automatic Operator looking after semi- Flow process chart-
machine automatic lathe equipment type
operation

Movements of Female operatives on short – cycle Multiple activity chart

operatives at repetition work Flow process chart –
work Operations demanding great equipment type
manual dexterity Films
Film analysis
Simo chart
Memotion
photography
Micromotion analysis
 The Field Of Choice…
When selecting a job for method study it will
be found helpful to have a standerdised
list of points to be covered as shown
below :-

1. Product and operation

2. Person who proposes investigation
3. Reason for proposal
4. Suggested limits of investigation
5. Particulars of the job
a) How much is produced or handled
per week?
 The Field Of Choice…

a) What percentage (roughly) is this of

the total produced or handled in the
shop or plant?
b) How long will the job continue?
c) Will more or less be required in
future?
d) How many operatives are employed
on the job
i. Directly?
ii. Indirectly?
e) How many operatives are there in
each grade and on each rate of
pay?
 The Field Of Choice…

a) How is payment made? (team-work,

piece-work, premium bonus time rate,
etc)
b) What is the daily output –
i. Of the best operative?
ii. Of the worst operative?
c) When were production standards set?
d) Has the job any especially unpleasant or
injurious features? Is it unpopular
i. With workers ?
ii. With supervisors ?
 The Field Of Choice…
1. Equipment.
a) What is the approximate cost of plant
and equipment?
b) What is the present machine
utilisation index?
2. Layout
a) Is the existing space allowed for the
job enough?
b) Is extra space available ?
3. Product.
a) Are the frequent design changes
causing modifications ?
b) Can the product be altered for easier
manufacture ?
 The Field Of Choice…

1. What savings or increase in productivity

may be expected from a method
improvement ?
a) Through reduction in the work content
of the product or process.
b) Through better machine utilisation.
c) Through better use of labour
Contd…
 The Field Of Choice…

It is important to set clearly defined limits to

the scope of the investigation
Method study investigations so often reveal
scope for even greater savings that there is a
strong temptation to go beyond the immediate
objective
 This should be resisted, and any jobs shown
up as offering scope for big improvements
through method study should be noted and
tackled separately.
“Do not use a spoon when a steam shovel is
needed”
 Record, Examine, Develop
After selecting the work to be studied

Systematic recording of all the existing method

and critical examination of these are carried
out to eliminate every unnecessary element or
operation and to develop the quickest and best
method by having an improved sequence of
doing the work, omitting the redundant
elements, selecting more appropriate person
and more suitable place for doing the work.

Is to record all the facts relating to the existing

method. The success of the whole procedure
 Record, Examine, Develop…
because they will provide the basis of both the
critical examination and the development of the
improved method. It is therefore essential that
the record be clear and concise.

The usual way of recording facts is to write

them down. Unfortunately, this method is not
suited to the recording of the complicated
processes which are so common in modern
industry.

To overcome this difficulty other

techniques or `tools’ of recording have
 Record, Examine, Develop…

precisely and at the same time in a standard

form, in order that it may be readily
understood by all method study men, in
whatever factory or country they may be
working.

The most commonly used of these recording

techniques are charts and diagrams.

There are several different types of standard

charts available, each with its own special
purposes.
 Record, Examine, Develop…
Two groups of charts :

Those which are used to record a process

sequence, i.e., a series of events or
happenings in the order in which they
occur, but which do not depict the events to
scale; and

Those which record events, also in

sequence, but on a time scale, so that the
interaction of related events may be more
easily studied.
 Record, Examine, Develop…
The most commonly used method study charts
and diagrams
A. Charts Indicating process SEQUENCE
Outline Process Chart
Flow Process Chart – Man Type
Flow Process Chart – Material Type
Flow Process Chart – Equipment Type
Two – Handed Process Chart

B. Charts Using a TIME SCALE

Multiple Activity Chart
Simo Chart

C. Diagrams Indicating movement

Flow Diagram
String Diagram
Cyclegraph
Chromocyclegraph
Travel Chart
 3.ii.B Symbols used in Method Study

The recording of the facts about a job or

operation on a process chart is made much
easier by the use of a set of standard
symbols, which together serve to represent all
the different types of activity or event likely to
be encountered in any factory or office.

The two principal activities in a process are

operation and inspection.
 Process Chart Symbols…

Operation

Indicates the main steps in a process, method or procedure.

Usually the part, material or product concerned is modified or
changed during the operation.

Inspection

Indicates an inspection for quality and / or check for quantity

Transport
Indicates the movement of workers, materials or equipment from place
to place
 Process Chart Symbols…
Temporary Storage or Delay

Indicates a delay in the sequence of events : for example, work waiting

between consecutive operations, or any object laid aside temporarily without
record until required.

Permanent Storage

Indicates a controlled storage in which material is received into or issued

from a store under some form of authorization; or an item is retained for reference
purposes.

Combined Activities

Indicates a controlled storage in which material is received into or issued

from a store under some form of authorization; or an item is retained for reference
purposes.
 3.ii.C
The Outline Process Chart
 The Outline Process Chart
An outline process chart is a process chart
giving an overall picture by recording in sequence
only the main operations and inspections.

In an outline process chart, only the principal

operations and the inspections carried out are
recorded to ensure effectiveness
While preparing the outline process chart we use
Symbols of Operation and Inspection
A brief note of the nature of each operation is made
beside the symbol
 Example
Assembling a switch rotor
 Switch Rotor Assembly
The operations and inspections carried out on the
spindle made from 10mm Ø steel rod are as follows
O 1 Face, turn, undercut and part off on capstan lathe
(0.025 hrs)
O 2 Face opposite end on the same machine(0.010 hrs).
Transport to inspn dept
I 1Inspect for dimensions and finish (no time fixed).
Transport to milling section
O 3 Straddle mill four flats on end on a horizontal miller
(0.020 hrs). Transport to work bench
O 4 Remove burrs at the burring bench(0.020 hrs).
Transport to inspn dept
I2 Final inspn of machine (no time)
O5 Degreasing(0.0015 hrs)
O6 Cadmium plating(.008 hrs)
I3 Final check (no time)
O7 Face on both sides, bore the cored hole and ream
to size on a capstan lathe(0.080 hrs)
O8 Drill cross-hole and burr on two-spindle drill
press(0.022 hrs)
I4 Final check dimensions and finish (no time)
Transport to finished parts stores and await with-
drawl for assembly.

Note the numbering of operations and inspections

Outline process chart
 Outline process chart
In making an outline process chart we
start with a vertical line down the right
hand side of the page to show the
operations and inspections undergone.
The time allowed per piece is also shown
on the left hand side.
 3.ii.D
FLOW PROCESS CHART
Process activity symbols
– Operation
– Inspection
– Transport
– Temporary storage or Delay
– Permanent storage
Process chart symbols
Used to represent different types of
activities or events.
Very convenient, widely understood type
of short hand, saves a lot of writing and
helps in making the sequence of
activities clear.
 3.ii.D Flow process chart 2/6

A FLOW PROCESS CHART records what

the worker does.
It is a chart setting out the frequency of flow
of a product or procedure by recording all
events under review using process chart
symbols.
there are different types of flow process
charts.
Purpose:
To set out the sequence of the flow of a
Activities recorded in the flow chart
Those where some thing is happening to
the work piece.
Those where the work piece is not
touched – (stored or standstill)
 Three types of flow process charts

Man type
– Flow chart which records what the worker does
Material type
– Flow chart which records how material is handled or
treated
Equipment type
– Flow chart which records how the equipment is
used
FLOW PROCESS CHART FOR
ENGINE
Stripping – Cleaning - Greasing
 Critical Examination
The questioning technique is the
critical means by which the
critical examination is conducted
– each activity being subjected in
turn to a systematic and
progressive series of questions
 OPERATIONS
Make Ready
Do
Put Away
Make ready and put away operations can
be represented by transport and
inspection symbols
DO operations can be shown by “O”
 CRITICAL EXAMINATION
- Primary questions
The Purpose for which…
The Place at which…
The sequence in which…
The person by which…
The means by which…

…the activities are undertaken

 CRITICAL EXAMINATION
- Primary questions
With a view to

Eliminating
Combining
Rearranging
Simplifying

…those Activities
 PRIMARY QUESTIONS
PURPOSE ELIMINATE
PLACE COMBINE
SEQUENCE REARRANGE
PERSON REARRANGE
MEANS SIMPLIFY
 THE SECONDARY QUESTIONS
Definition
The secondary questions cover the second
stage of the questioning technique, during
which the answers to the primary
questions are subjected to further query to
determine whether possible alternatives to
place, sequence, persons and/or means
are practicable or preferable as the means
of improvement up on the existing method
SECONDARY QUESTIONS…
During the second stage
of questioning, we should
address
– What else might be done? These questions are the
– What should be done? basis for a systematic
Purpose method study.
Place
Sequence
Person
Means
 EXAMPLE: ENGINE
Stripping – Cleaning - Degreasing
 DEVELOP
IMPROVED METHOD
After critically examining and
sequential questioning we
develop the improved method
and record the improved method
in a flow process chart as shown
TOOLS USED FOR PREPARING
PLANT LAYOUTS
 String diagram
 Flow Process chart
 Travel Chart
 Flow diagram
 Multiple activity chart
 Template Models
 3.ii.D.1 String diagram 1/6

String diagram is a useful tool to record the

distance traveled by a worker in the working area.
The string diagram is a scale plan or model on
which a thread is used to trace and measure the
distance traversed which has to be minimum by
•Workers
•Material or
•Equipment
during a specified sequence of events
Observe the clusters of points, pins, turning
points.
Also observe the grid lines which represent a
measure of the distance between the points.
Construction of a String diagram

Step-1
– Preparing a study chart
Step-2
– Drawing a scale plan of the working area
Step-3
– Combining steps 1,2 to construct the final diagram
 Step-1: Preparing a study chart

Worker being studied is followed and all the

points along the working areas are noted in a
study sheet until a representative picture of the
workers is obtained.
Thus the movements are noted down for
enough number of cycles so as to capture the
actual work in terms of the journey made by the
worker with their respective frequencies.
Step-2: Drawing a scale plan of the
working area
Machines, benches, stores and all other points
at which calls are made are drawn to scale
together with doorways, pillars etc that effect
the path movements.
Then attachments like soft wood, composition
board and pins are driven firmly at every point.
Pins are driven also at turning points on the
route.
This ensures a shop floor environment which
helps to do the study accurately.
Step-3: Combining the steps 1 and
2
A measured length of thread is wound from the
starting point of the movement of the worker
and leading through all the points on the path of
the worker in the same order noted in the step-
1
This results in a String diagram.
 Example of a String diagram
Movement, Transport of tiles from Inspection to
Storage
IMPROVED METHOD
Serving dinners in a hospital ward
FPC - Dinners in a hospital
ward
Original Flow Diagram Inspn and Marking
Improved FD of Inspection and
Marking
 3.ii.D.iii Travel chart 3/6

A travel chart is a tabular record for

presenting quantitative data about the
movements of workers, materials or
equipment between any number of places
over any given period of time.
 Why Travel chart ?

 Although the string diagram is a neat and

effective way of record the movement of worker
or material for critical examination,
o they take long time to construct
o look increasingly like a complex maze with
increasing complexity of movement paths
When the movement patterns are complex, the
travel chart is quicker and more manageable to
record.
 More about Travel chart

Always a square
A column at (m,n) is checked only when there
is a direct movement from station at m to
station at n directly.
The number of times a column at (m,n) is
checked over a period of time gives the
frequency of movement of a worker or material.
The matrix is always a symmetrical matrix.
Travel chart
 3.ii.D.4 FLOW DIAGRAM
While the flow process chart describes the flow of a
product or process, it is generally supplemented with a
flow diagram.
While the flow process chart records travel distances
and time taken for various operations, the flow diagram
is a plan , drawn to scale of the work area, correctly
indicating the position of machines and working
positions.
The symbols are also indicated in the flow diagram.
The example shown indicates the flow diagram of receiving,
inspection, marking and storing materials.
After recording examining and developing a new method, the
improved flow diagram shows the transport operations reduced
from a 11 to 6. delays from 7 to 2. and the distance travelled
reduced from 56.2 to 32.2
Original Flow Diagram Inspection and Marking
Improved FD of Inspection and
Marking
 3.ii.E.
MULTIPLE ACTIVITY CHART
Multiple activity chart is a useful recording tool
for situations where the work involves the
interaction of different persons. Such as the
operator working on different machines.
In Mac a time scale is used.
Mac can be used effectively even if there is no
movement of workers involved in the work under
consideration.
Focus on Mac in situations where the operator
are moving and to identify the idle time of the
worker or the machine
 Multiple activity chart
A MULTIPLE ACTIVIITY chart is a chart in which
the activities of more than one subject (worker,
machine or item of equipment) are each
recorded on a common time scale to show their
inter relationship.
By using separate vertical columns or bars, to
represent the activities of different operatives or
machines against a common time scale, the
chart shows very clearly periods of idleness on
the part of any of the subjects during the
process.
Inspection of catalyst in a converter
The following slides show the present method of
inspecting catalyst in a convertor where teams of
electrician and mate, fitter and mate, rigger and
process man are working together.
In the original method it took 6 mins for the
inspn.
After recording, critically examining and
developing a new method, the inspection time is
reduced to four minute,ie a 32% saving.
MAC-Inspn of catalyst in a converter-
original method
MAC-Inspn of catalyst in a converter-
Improved method
 3.ii.F TEMPLATE MODELS
Template models are used to study the
layout and the positioning of various
machines by pasting templates on the
plant layout diagram.
This can be extended by using the string
diagram technique to visualize the flow of
the material.