List the eight steps in applying methods engineering

The eight steps of methods engineering are:

1) select the project How does the flow process chart differ from the
operation process chart?
2) get and present the data
The flow chart contains more detail than the operation
3) analyze the data
process chart. In addition to operations and inspections,
4) develop the ideal method it includes transportations, storages, delays, and the
times and distance involved.
5) present and install the method

6) develop a job analysis

7) establish time standards

What symbols are used in constructing the flow process
8) follow up the method chart?

small circle = an operation

square = an inspection
Explain Frederick W. Taylor's principles of scientific triangle standing on its vertex = a storage
management
D = a delay
The principles of scientific management included: time
study, standardization of all tools and tasks, use of a arrow = a transportation.
planning department, use of slide rules and other time
saving implements, instruction cards

for workers, bonuses for successful performance,

differential rates, mnemonic systems classifying Why is it necessary to construct process charts from
products, routing systems and modern costs systems. direct observation as opposed to information obtained
from the foreman?

Information from the supervisor frequently is not

accurate and may be biased. More reliable information
What is meant by motion study, and who are the is obtained by personal observation and measurement.
founders of the motion study technique?

Motion study is the study of body motions used in

performing an operation, with the thought of improving
the operation by eliminating unnecessary motions and When would you advocate using the flow diagram?
simplifying necessary motions, and
Flow diagrams are useful in solving plant layout
then establishing the most favorable motion sequence. problems.
Frank and Lilian Gilbreth are considered the founders of
motion study.

Reducing which of the three times - worker, machine, or

loading - would give the greatest effect on increasing
How are time study and methods engineering related? productivity? Why?

Time study should not be undertaken until a good Reducing loading time would have greatest effect on
method has been developed and installed. productivity, because it decreases time in both worker
and machine columns. That is the whole purpose 6) unnecessary motion
behind SMED (single minute exchange of die) in the
7) defective products.
Toyota Production System.

What are the two general types of plant layout? Explain

How is operation analysis related to methods
each in detail.
engineering?
In product or straight-line layouts, the equipment and
Operation analysis is one technique (by examining nine
workstations are located so that the flow from one
different aspects of the operation) for accomplishing
operation to the next is minimized for any product class.
the goals of methods engineering.
In process or functional layouts, similar

facilities or workstations are grouped together.

Compare and contrast operations analysis with the lean

manufacturing approach.
Explain why workstation designers should endeavor to
Lean manufacturing originated with the Toyota Motor
have operators perform work elements without having
Corporation as a means of eliminating waste which
to lift their elbows.
were classified into seven types (see Question 5). These
overlap with traditional methods Raising the elbow requires static contraction of muscles,
which is very fatiguing.
engineering in which:

1) delays and transport elements are reduced using flow

process charts analyses

2) excess motions are eliminated by using the principles Define and give examples of the 17 fundamental
of work design and motion economy motions, or therbligs.
3) overproduction and excess inventory require Therbligs are basic motions of work
additional storage and material handling , which is a
waste to be reduced Effective Therbligs - directly advance progress of work.
May be shortened but difficult to eliminate completely
4) defective products are an obvious waste producing
scrap or requiring rework and also need to be reduced. 1) Reach; RE

2) Move; M

3) Grasp; G

What are the seven mudas? 4) Release; RL

The seven types of muda or waste are: 5) Preposition; PP

1) overproduction 6) Use; U

2) waiting for the next step 7) Assemble; A

3) unnecessary transportation 8) Disassemble; DA

4) inappropriate processing Ineffective Therbligs - do not advance progress or work.

Should be eliminated if possible
5) excess inventory
9) Search; S In a motion study, why is it inadvisable to analyze both
hands simultaneously?
10) Select; SE
Analyzing both hands simultaneously would be much
11) Position; P
too confusing.
12) Inspect; I

13) Plan; PL

14) Unavoidable Delay; ED

Compare and contrast a decision table with value
15) Avoidable Delay; AD engineering.

16) Rest to Overcome Fatigue; R Although both techniques assist one in making a proper
decision, a decision table is primarily a non-quantitative
17) Hold; H checklist, while value engineering provide weights and
rankings to allow a more specific numerical value.

How may the basic motion 'search' be eliminated from

the work cycle? What is a job evaluation?
Provide fixed locations for all tools and work A job evaluation is a procedure for making an appraisal
components used by the operator at the work station. of a job and recording the details of the work so that it
can be evaluate fairly.

What basic motion generally precedes 'reach'?

'Reach' is typically preceded by a 'release'. What is the weakness of using historical records as a
means of establishing standards of performance?

Historical records usually are not accurate enough to be

used as input data for important decision making. Too
Explain the difference between avoidable and often they allow more time than is required since delay
unavoidable delays. time is frequently charged to a

An avoidable delay takes place only when the operator particular order or item that really was not related to
is solely responsible, while an unavoidable delay is an that order.
interruption beyond the control of an operator.

Explain why a range of rates rather than just one rate

Which of the 17 therbligs are classed as effective, and should be established for every labor
usually cannot be removed from the work cycle? grade
Reach, move, grasp, release, preposition, use, assemble A range of rates allows for promotion within a labor
and disassemble are classed as effective. grade.
How is a fair day's pay determined?

A fair day's pay is determined through the application of

sound job evaluations.
Explain what a foreign element is and how foreign
elements are handled under the continuous method.

A foreign element is one introduced by the operator

during the study that was not planned at the time the
What are the effects of poor time standards?
elements of the study were established. When a foreign
Poor standards mean that some are too 'tight' and element occurs, the observer will signify
other are too 'loose'. Those operators with tight
the event by an alphabetical designation in the NT
standards will complain and cause problems. Operators
column. A short description of the foreign element is
with loose standards will not be working at
made in a separate space.
the true standard and the company will loose money.

What factors enter into the determination of the

What equipment is needed by the time study analyst? number of cycles to observe?

Minimum equipment includes a good stopwatch, a time 1) the type of activity of the job
study board, time study forms, and a pocket calculator.
2) the cycle time of the job
A nice alternative approach is to use a hand-held PC or
PDA with time study software. 3) the variation in cycle times

4) the desired confidence in or accuracy of study

Differentiate between constant and variable elements.

Why should they be kept separate when dividing the job
Define a qualified operator.
into elements?
A qualified operator is one who can achieve the
Constant elements are those for which the time will
established standard of performance when following
deviate very little, while variable elements are those for
the prescribed method at an average pace.
which the time will vary within a specified range of
work. Constant elements should be kept separate from
variable elements so that they can be used as a source
of standard data or formula construction.
For what reasons are allowances applied to the normal
time?

Allowances are used to care of personal and

What advantages does the continuous method of watch unavoidable delays and fatigue, so that a fair standard is
recording offer over the snapback method? developed that can be achieved by the qualified
operator when exerting average effort.
The continuous method provides a complete record of
the entire observation period. It is better adapted to
measuring and recording very short elements. In
mechanical watches, no time is lost in

snapping the hand back to zero. Define the term standard time.
Standard time is the time required for an average
operator, fully qualified and trained, and working at
standard pace, to perform the operation.
Which operator interruptions would be covered by the
unavoidable delays allowance?

Unavoidable delays cover interruptions from the

When during a time study should a rating be given? supervisor, dispatcher, time study analyst, material
Why is this important? irregularities, interference delays, etc.

The rating is given while observing the element before

the watch reading is taken. Only at the workstation can
the analyst provide the best judgement of the skill and
effort demonstrated. What is meant by 'standard data'?

Standard data are elemental time standards that have

been either taken from stopwatch time studies or

developed from predetermined time systems.

Would there be any objection to studying an operator
who was performing at an excessive pace? Why or why
not?

It is preferable to study an operator who is working at a

more standard pace. It is difficult to accurately evaluate What advantages are there to establishing time
performances at either end of the rating scale. A slow standards by using standard data rather than by taking
worker will produce loose times. A fast worker will individual studies?
produce tight times (regression toward the mean.) -The standards will be more consistent

-They can be established more rapidly

-A less experienced person can be used to establish

What are the two methods used in developing standards
allowance standard data? Briefly explain the

application of each technique.

The two methods are work sampling and the production What is the danger of using too few studies in the
study. Work sampling is the primary tool to establish derivation of a formula?
allowances for various work categories. The production
study is used in cases were grievances have been Insufficient data points can lead to significant
submitted and a careful scrutiny of all times and delays inaccuracies in the plotting of curves and the resulting
must be made. algebraic expressions (i.e. large variance for the
formula).

What are some of the major factors that affect fatigue?

Illumination, noise, temperature, humidity, ventilation, Who was originally responsible for thinking in terms of
weight of loads, posture, monotony of the task, developing standards for basic work
repetitiveness of the task, mental strain of the task, etc. divisions? What was his contribution?
all affect fatigue.
F. W. Taylor with his developments of scientific
management, stopwatch time studies and tool-life
equation was responsible initiating the concepts of
basic work elements. What are the pros and cons for using work sampling to
establish standards of performance?

Pros:

-eliminates the use if a stop watch

What are the advantages of using predetermined
times? -is quite efficient
When properly applied by competent analysts, they -allows several standards to be established
establish consistent standards. They maintain a uniform simultaneously
concept of normal in connection with the
predetermined time system used. -establishes standards on work that is difficult to
measure

Cons:

-standards are likely to be loose because of the bias in

How is MTM related to the analysis of method? collecting data
To apply MTM (or any other predetermined time -difficult to rate performance reliably
system), one must first make a detailed analysis of the
method; hence, the use of the MTM-2 Analysis -since data collection may last over several weeks,
Checklist. standards cannot be established quickly

What are the three basic motion sequences used in Compare and contrast the different ways of
BasicMOST? determining a standard time.

The three basic motions are: Standard times can be estimated from performance
records and can be calculated with stopwatch time
1) general move
studies, standard data, time formulas, work sampling
2) controlled move studies and predetermined time systems.
3) tool/equipment use. Detailed comparisons are found in Table 16-2.

What are advantages of work sampling over stopwatch How can valid time standards help develop an ideal
time study? plant layout?
-continuous observations not required By knowing the exact requirements for facilities in
terms of numbers, style, and load, the best possible
-less clerical time
utilization of space can be determined.
-fewer analyst hours expended

-operator not subjected to long observation periods

-crew operations easily studied by one analyst

Explain the relationship between time standards and
plant capacity.

With time standards, it is a matter of simple arithmetic

What are the fundamental prerequisites of a successful
to determine the capacity of a machine, a department,
wage incentive plan?
or entire plant. Department and plant capacity can be
easily determined by calculating the capacity of bottle- 1. policy providing for valid work measurement
neck operations only.
2. adequate volume of work must be available for each
operator (i.e. good scheduling and inventory control)

3. fair base rates

How do time standards allow the accurate 4. adequate tools
determination of labor costs?
5. well maintained equipment
Labor costs are accurately determined by multiplying
the reciprocal of the efficiency of the department by the
average daywork rate. This would give the hourly direct
labor cost based on standard production. Under
incentive wage payment the standard multiplied by the Why is it fundamental to keep time standards up-to-
base rate would provide the direct labor cost based date if a wage incentive plan is to succeed?
upon standard production. Obsolete standards will result in wage payments that
are not equitable. Loose time rates will provide take-
home pay that is excessive, which will lead to the failure
of the system and perhaps the business.
Explain the benefits of increasing production in relation
to manufacturing cost.

By increasing production, fixed costs (such as general

labor, insurance, basic utilities, etc.) decrease because What does unduly high performance indicate?
they are spread over a larger output. Unduly high performance indicates a creeping looseness
in standards and/or the introduction of a methods
change for which no standards revision has been made.

Differentiate between individual wage payment plans

and group-type plans. What are some of the reasons for the failure of wage
incentive schemes?
In individual plan's, each employee's compensation is
governed by that employee's performance. Group plans Failure can be grouped into three main categories:
are applicable to two or more workers who are working 1) fundamental problems such as poor standards,
as a team that tend to be complicated wage schemes, ceilings on earnings
dependent on one another. 2) poor human relations with regard to proper training
and support

3) poor technical administration of maintaining

standards under methods changes, quality issues,
What are the characteristics of piecework? grievance problems, etc.
Under piecework operators are rewarded in direct
proportion to output; the base rate is not guaranteed. [Link]