Method study

Objectives
Improvement of processes and procedures.
Improvements of factory, shop and workplace layout and of
design of plant and equipment.
Economy of human efforts and the reduction of unnecessary
fatigue.
Improvement in the use of materials, machines and manpower.
The development of a better physical working environment.

Selecting the work to be studied

Economic considerations
Bottlenecks
Movements of material over long distances
Operations involving repetitive work
Technical considerations
Relatively straight forward
Based on the technical knowledge of the process
Human considerations
Most difficult to foretell because of mental and emotional
nature.
Select an unpopular job for method study.
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Important considerations
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Product and operation

Person who proposed investigation
Reason for proposal
Particulars of the job
Equipment
Layout
Product
Savings and/or increase in productivity expected.

Why charts?

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It gives a complete picture of what is being done and helps to

understand the facts and its relationship to one another.
Details on the chart must be obtained from direct
observation. Should not be from memory.
Neatness and accuracy important.
Increased value if following is included:
Product, equipment details (code#, drawing#)
Job or process being carried out
Location and time (date) of the study
Observers name
Chart reference number
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Outline process chart:

Outline process chart: The outline process chart would bear against
each symbol, an abbreviated description of what is done during the
operation or inspection.
Outline process chart which gives an overall view of the entire
process is designed to give a quick understanding of the work which
must be done to produce a given product.
It makes possible a study of the operations and inspections so
that the best sequence may be developed. The analyst questioning
on the outline process chart may discover significant cost reductions
by combining or eliminating certain operations and inspections.

The symbols of process chart are as

follows:

The symbols of process chart are as follows:

HOLD
STORAGE

OPERATION is used for the activities of grasp, position, use, release, etc. of a tool,
component or material.
TRANSPORTis used to represent the movement of the hand (or limb) to or from the work, or
a tool, or material.
D DELAYis used to denote time during which the hand or limb being charted is idle (although
the others may be in use).
INSPECTION is used to denote inspection.

Flow process chart Flow process chart A flow process chart is a process chart
setting out the sequence of the flow of a
product or a procedure by recording all
events under review using the appropriate
process chart symbol
Flow process chart Man type: A flow
process chart which record what the
worker does.

 Flow process chart- Material type:

A flow process chart which records how
material is handled or treated.
Flow process chart-Equipment type- A
flow process chart which records how
equipment is used.
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Symbols of flow process chart:

Operation O
Inspection---
Transport--Temporary storage of Delay--- D
Permanent storage--

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Multiple activity chart

A chart on which the activities of more than one subject
(worker, machine, equipment) are each recorded on a common
time scale to show their interrelationship.
By using separate vertical columns, or bars to represent the
activities of different operators or machines against a common
time scale the chart shows the periods of idleness on the part
of any subjects, during the process.
This makes it possible to rearrange these activities so that such
ineffective time is reduced.
Extremely useful in organizing teams of operatives on massproduction work, also on maintenance work when scheduling
expensive plant.
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Facility layout / Plant lay out

Facility layout: Method study

considerations
Important considerations: Easiest flow of material, at the
lowest cost and with minimum handling.
Layout by fixed position:
E.g. Ship building, air crafts,etc.
Layout by Process or function:
Here all operations are of same nature are grouped together.
e.g. garment industry.

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Material handling

Material handling
Typically material handing may take up to 85% of the total
process time.
Only important method study principle: Motion Economy!
Material handling adds to the cost of manufacture but adds
nothing to the value of the product.
Therefore, ideally there should be no material handling.
Typical material handling problem solved in the same way as
all method study problem start with asking questions.
Most important question: WHY is this handling done?

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Material handling: Process

improved material handling process is traditional way of

solving any method study problems
Use of outline and process flow charts and flow diagrams to
ensure a correct workplace layout.
AIM: Minimization of movement in any plane horizontal or
vertical.
Specially critical when one is buying material handling
equipment for the workplace.
Change in workplace layout affects not only the quantity but
also the type of material handling equipment necessary.
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Material handling: Important aspects

Always try to keep material at the height at which they are to
be worked upon.
Never keep material on floor.
Always keep distances over which material is handled as short
as possible.
Let gravity work for you.
Always handle in bulk over distances.
Always have sufficient boxes, platforms or container available
at the workplace.
Keep gangways clear.
Dont reduce the supplementary human labor if it means
increase in the load for direct operators.
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Movement of workers

Effects of shop layout on worker

movement
There are many activities in which workers move at irregular
intervals between a number of points in the working area, with
or without material. This happens when,
Bulk material is fed to or removed from a continuous process.
An operator is looking after two or more machines.
Laborers are delivering material to or removing work from a
series of machines.
In stores and shops when variety of materials are being
removed from or put away into racks or bins.
In restaurants and canteens kitchens during preparation of
meal.
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String diagram
A scale plan or model on which a thread is used to trace and
measure the path of workers, material or equipment during a
specified sequence of events.
A special form of flow diagram, in which a thread is used to
measure distance.
Necessary that the string diagram be drawn correctly to scale,
whereas regular flow diagram can be drawn only
approximately to scale.
Start using the string diagram by recording all the relevant
facts from direct observation.
Like flow diagram, it will most often be used to supplement a
flow process chart.
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String diagram
Thus, string diagram and flow chart can give clearest possible
picture of what is actually being done.
Flow process chart will be examined critically in order to
make sure that all unnecessary activities are eliminated before
a new method is proposed and tested using string diagram.
String diagram can be used to plot movements of material to
know how far the materials travel.
Most commonly, the string diagram is used for plotting the
movements of workers.

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String diagram: Process

A scale plan of working area similar to that required for a flow
diagram must be made; as stated earlier, with higher accuracy.
Machines, benches, stores etc. should be drawn to scale,
together with doorways, pillars, partitions.
Completed plan should be attached to a softwood board and
pins driven into it firmly at every stopping point, the heads
being allowed to stand well clear of the surface.
Pins should also be driven in at all the turning points on the
route.
A measured length of thread is then taken and tied around the
pin at the starting point of the movements.

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String diagram: Process

It is then led around the pins at the other points of call in the
order noted on the study sheet until all the movements have
been dealt with.
The result is to give a picture of the paths of movement of the
operators, those which are most frequently traversed being
covered with the greatest number of strings.
By measuring the length of the thread, the distance traveled by
the worker can be calculated.
Of two or more workers are studied over the same working
area, different colored threads may be used to distinguish
them.
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String diagram: Analysis

Examination of diagram and development of new layout done
in a similar fashion as with a flow diagram.
Pins and templates are moved around until an arrangement is
found by which the same operation can be performed with a
minimum movement between them.
This can be checked by leading the thread around the pins in
their new positions, keeping the same sequence.
The length of the thread for the new layout is measured and
compared with the length of thread for original layout.
Difference in length of threads represent the reduction in
distance traveled as a result of improved layout.

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Travel chart
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.

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Travel chart
String diagrams take a rather long time to construct. And when
a great many movements along complex paths are involved,
the diagram looks like ugly mess of criss-crossing lines.
When the movement patterns are complex, the travel chart is
quicker and more manageable recording technique.
It is a tabular record for presenting quantitative data about
movements of workers, materials or equipment between any
number of places over any given period of time.
It is represented as a square matrix: columns indicating origin
of movement and rows the destination. Or vice versa.
Data could be travel time taken, distance traveled etc.
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Travel chart
The person conducting the study doesnt have to trace the
actual path from origin to destination.
Just the start and end of the travel is recorded as corresponding
columns and row.

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Two- handed process chart

The two handed process chart is a
process in which the activities of a
workers hands (or limbs) are recorded in
their relationship to one another.

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Micromotion study

Micromotion study: In certain types of operation, and particularly those with very
short cycles which are repeated thousands of times ( such as the packing of sweets
into boxes or food cans into cartons), it is worth while going into much greater detail
to determine where movements and efforts can be saved and to develop the best
possible pattern of movement, thus enabling the operative to perform the operation
repeatedly with a minimum of effort and fatigue. The techniques used for this purpose
frequently make use of filming, and are known collectively as micromotion study.
The micromotion group of techniques is based on the ideas of dividing human activity
into divisions of movements or groups of movements (known as therblings)
according to the purpose for which they are made.
The divisions were devised by Frank B.Gilberth, the founder of motion study;
the word therblig is an anagram of his name. Gilbreth differentiated 17 fundamental
hand or hand and eye motions, to which an eighteen has subsequently been added.
Each therblig has a specific color, symbol and letter for recording purposes.

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Simo Chart (Defination)

Simo Chart (Defination): A simo chart is a chart, often based on firm analysis, used
to record simultaneously on a common time scale the therbligs or groups of therbligs
performed by different parts of the body of one or more workers.
The Simultaneous motion cycle chart in short known as simo chart is the micromotion
form of the man type flow process chart. Because simo chart are used primarily for
operations of short duration, often performed with extremely rapidity, it is generally
necessary to compile them from films made of the operation which can be stopped at
any point or projected in slow motion. It will be seen that the movements are recorded
against time measured in winks (1 wink = 1/2000 minute).

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