Time and Motion Study
A Time and Motion Study is a business efficiency technique that involves the observation and analysis of tasks or processes to determine the time required to complete them and the movements involved. Its main purpose is to find the best method of accomplishing a task, optimizing efficiency, and reducing waste.
The Time and Motion Study has its roots in the early 20th century, primarily attributed to Frederick Winslow Taylor’s principles of scientific management and later refined by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.
Here’s a breakdown of the process:
- Selection of Task: Choose a specific task or process that you want to study.
- Recording: Observers will watch and note down the time taken for different elements of a task. This can be done manually using a stopwatch or with modern tools like video cameras and specialized software.
- Analysis: Break down the task into individual components or movements. Identify any repetitive or unnecessary motions.
- Optimization: Design a more efficient way to perform the task by eliminating or combining unnecessary steps and streamlining the process.
- Standardization: Once the most efficient method is determined, it’s documented and becomes the standard for how that task should be performed.
- Training: Workers are then trained on this standardized process to ensure consistency and efficiency.
The benefits of a Time and Motion Study include:
- Increased Efficiency: By understanding how time is spent and identifying wasteful motions, processes can be streamlined.
- Cost Reduction: Efficient processes often lead to reduced costs in production or service delivery.
- Improved Work Methods: The study often results in a better understanding of how work is done, which can lead to innovations in process and tool design.
- Standardization: With standardized processes, businesses can ensure consistent quality and performance across the board.
However, there are criticisms and challenges as well:
- Resistance from Workers: Employees might feel that such studies are an invasion of privacy or a means to squeeze more work out of them.
- May Not Reflect All Variabilities: Sometimes, the study might be conducted under ideal conditions which don’t reflect the variability and challenges of real-world scenarios.
Example of a Time and Motion Study
Let’s use the example of a coffee shop that wants to streamline the process of making and serving coffee to reduce waiting times for customers.
Objective: Reduce the time it takes to serve a cup of coffee to a customer after they’ve placed their order.
1. Selection of Task: The task chosen for the study is the process of making a standard cup of coffee, from taking the order to handing the finished coffee to the customer.
2. Recording: An observer is stationed at the coffee shop during peak hours. They use a stopwatch to time several employees as they make coffee.
Results from observations:
- Taking order and payment: 30 seconds
- Grinding coffee beans: 20 seconds
- Brewing coffee: 2 minutes
- Pouring and adding desired milk/cream: 1 minute
- Handing the coffee to the customer: 10 seconds
3. Analysis: The total time for the process, based on the observations, averages out to be around 4 minutes. The longest part of the process is brewing the coffee, which takes 2 minutes.
4. Optimization: The coffee shop decides to try a few different methods to optimize the process:
- Introduce a pre-order system through a mobile app, which allows regular customers to order in advance.
- Have a dedicated station with pre-brewed coffee ready during peak hours for customers who don’t have specific brewing preferences.
- Rearrange the counter layout so that the grinder, brewer, and milk/cream station are closer together, reducing unnecessary movement.
5. Standardization: After testing these changes, the process is standardized. All employees are trained to follow this new method during peak hours.
6. Training: Staff are given a brief training session on the new procedures. This includes how to manage pre-orders from the app and how to efficiently use the newly arranged counter layout.
Post-Study Results: After implementing the changes, a new time and motion study is conducted. The average time is now reduced to 2.5 minutes per order, leading to happier customers and increased sales during peak hours.
This example demonstrates how a Time and Motion Study can be practically applied in a real-world scenario to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.
