Time the work and run work studies
Measure with a stopwatch how long each part of a task takes, to set its standard time and balance the line against the customer’s pace.
The task in figures
- Gives you back
- It does not recur every month
- Elmira today
- Not covered
- Frequency
- Per project
- Who does it today
- Analyst, Engineer
- Version
- Elmira Junior
What hurts today.
Timing takes hours of stopwatch work for each task.
Standard times go stale when the process changes.
Whoever is being watched works differently.
To know how many people a line needs, or whether a workstation is a bottleneck, you have to measure. The analyst breaks the task into elements, times them at the workstation over several cycles, works out the standard time with its allowances and compares it with the takt, the pace at which the customer buys. It is stopwatch and spreadsheet work, and it needs being at the workstation: at least an hour of observation for each task.
Done today with
- Expert
- On the floor
- Paper and whiteboard
- Spreadsheet
- Slides
Each step, today and with Elmira.
She does not: timing needs being at the workstation with a stopwatch, and the analysis needs skill.
| Step | Today | With Elmira |
|---|---|---|
| Break the task into elements | Expert, Paper and whiteboard15 min – 30 min | Still by hand |
| Time it at the workstation, over several cycles | On the floor1 h – 4 h | Still by hand |
| Work out the standard time, with its allowances | Spreadsheet30 min – 1 h | Still by hand |
| Compare it with the takt and balance the line | Spreadsheet, Expert30 min – 2 h | Still by hand |
| Present the results | Slides30 min – 1 h | Still by hand |
The conversation
No example conversation: the Obeyaka web app does it, or it comes later.
Does this happen to your team?
Book a demo and we will show you Elmira doing this task.
More cases of processes and standards
- Audit compliance with the standard (layered audits)The results stay on paper nobody adds up.
- Run the 5S audits and follow up their findingsThe order lasts until the next audit.
- Map a process end to end (SIPOC)“The process” means something different to each person.