Chapter 4

Method Study
 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.
 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 layout and
equipment
• Improvement utilization of men, materials and
machines.
• Efficient materials handling
 …cont.

• Improvement in the flow of production and process.

• Economy in human effort and the reduction of fatigue.
• Method Standardization
• Improvement in safety standards.
• Development of a better physical working environment
etc.
 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
• Arrangement of working time
 Procedure
The solution of any problem follows the following sequence
of phases in that order :
1) Define: The problem.
2) Record: All the facts relevant to the problem.
3) Examine: The facts critically but impartially.
4) Consider: The courses of actions (possible solutions)
and decide which to follow.
5) Implement: The solution.
6) Follow Up: The development.
 Procedure…

Steps and Procedure to conduct Method Study :

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

e) Define: the new method so that it can always be

identified.
f) Install: that methods as standard practice.
g) 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 Place
By means of Record By means of

Outline Process ; Charts

Two handed ; Simo ; Multiple Activity
Charts Flow Process – Man type , Material type ;
Multiple Activity ; Travel
Cycle Graphs ; Chronocycle Graphs ; Other Means
Other Means Flow Diagrams ; String Diagrams ; Models Film Analysis ; Memotion Photography
Examine the facts critically

Challenge

PURPOSE – PLACE – SEQUENCE – PERSON - MEANS

Seek Alternatives
Find Pointers
Eliminate Combine or Change Simplify
Develop
A record of an improved method
Re - Examine
Planning and Control that record to establish Mechanical Aids ;
Materials Handling Manual Controls and Visual
The Best Method under Prevailing Circumstances instruments
General Environment and Working
Equipment design ; Jigs and
Conditions Define fixtures
Plant Layout Local Working Conditions
Install
The Improved method
Plan - Arrange - Implement
Maintain
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
Better working conditions Higher
Reduction of fatigue Productivity
Resulting in improved use of material
Plant and equipment
manpower
 Selection Of Job
Factors to 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
Pay-back period method may be used for this
purpose.
 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 liable to run for a long time.
 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 from Outline process chart
Sequence of 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 cylinder Outline process chart

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

Handling of Putting materials into and taking them Flow process chart –
materials out of stores material type
Loading lorries with finished products. Flow diagram
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. Cycle
graph.
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 skill Films
Film analysis
Simo chart
Mem motion
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?
b) What percentage (roughly) is this of the total
produced or handled in the shop or plant?
 The Field Of Choice…
c) How long will the job continue?
d) Will more or less be required in future?
e) How many workers are employed on the job
• Directly?
• Indirectly?
f) How many operatives are there in each grade and on
each rate of pay?
g) What is the average output per operative (per team)
per day?
h) What is the daily output compared with the output
over a shorter period? (e.g. an hour)
 The Field Of Choice…

i) How is payment made? (team-work, piece-

work, premium bonus time rate, etc)
j) What is the daily output –
• Of the best operative?
• Of the worst operative?
k) When were production standards set?
l) Has the job any especially unpleasant or
injurious features? Is it unpopular
• With workers ?
• With supervisors ?
 The Field Of Choice…
6. Equipment.
• What is the approximate cost of plant and
equipment?
• What is the present machine utilisation index?
7. Layout
• Is the existing space allowed for the job enough?
• Is extra space available ?
8. Product.
• Are the frequent design changes causing
modifications ?
• Can the product be altered for easier
manufacture ?
• When and how is product inspected ?
• What quality is demanded ?
 The Field Of Choice…

9. 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
 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 depends on the
accuracy with which the facts are recorded,
 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 been developed, so that detailed
information may be recorded
 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
Cycle graph
Chronocyclegraph
Travel Chart
 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.
 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

Combined activities
 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
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.
 Flow process chart

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 product or a
procedure by recording all the events under review
(inspection) using the appropriate process chart symbols.
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
…cont.
A Two-Handed Process Flow Chart individually shows the
movement of each hand in a manual process . It is typically
used when analyzing a manual assembly process, to help
make it easier to perform.

Fig. 1. Two-handed process flowchart

 Example
• A product assembly team in a gaming machine manufacturer were
looking for ways of building the product more efficiently. They
broke down the assembly process into a set of Flowcharts, showing
how sub-assemblies were made and then built into the final product.
Analysis of the reel assembly process revealed two improvements:
• The kit of parts was already checked by the kit assembly line, who
were sometimes careless, as they knew the kit would be rechecked.
The assembly line process was improved so the check here could
be removed. This saved over two minutes per reel in checking, and
up to fifteen minutes when the kit was faulty.
• Fitting the reel band after the reel had been attached to the base was
awkward. Fitting the band before the reel was attached to the base
was more comfortable and saved about a minute per reel.
• The process Flowcharts, before and after improvement, are shown in
Fig. 1.
Example Flowcharts
 Flow process chart
Flow process chart is used in quality control to display the action
sequence of physical or manual process. Flow process chart is
useful for recording actions and documenting the production
process. Flow process chart helps to analyze and improve the
process steps. Flow process chart is more preferable than
flowchart for documenting the mostly sequential processes. Three
types of flow process charts include: 1) man-type charts depicting
the person actions, 2) material-type charts displaying the actions
with product or material object, 3) equipment-type charts
visualizing the usage of tools and equipment. The set of symbols
used in the flow process charts was developed by the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This flow process chart
example was created using the Concept Draw PRO diagramming
and vector drawing software extended with the Matrices solution
from the Marketing area of Concept Draw Solution Park.
Example – Egg Trays Production:
The following example illustrates a flow process chart
for an egg tray production line which is an example of
a man-type flow process chart: