METHOD STUDY

It is the systematic study and critical examination of existing and proposed ways of doing work as a means of developing and applying easier and effective methods and reducing costs.

OBJECTIVES
Improvement of processes and production flow Improvement in plant and equipments design Improvement in plant layout Improvement in the use of men, materials and machine Efficient material handling Improvement in safety standards Development of better physical working standards Method standardization

PROCEDURE FOR METHOD STUDY

1. Selection of job 2. Record- relevant facts by direct observation 3. Exam- facts in ordered sequence using required techniques 4. Develop- most practical ,economic and effective method 5. Define: new method for identification 6. Install: methods as standard practice 7. Maintain: methods by regular routine checks

1.SELECTION OF JOB
Factors involved: Economic considerations- study cost, investigation time. Preliminary choices: Bottlenecks, operations involving repetitive work Technical considerationstechnical knowledge for the study Human reactions- requirement of a participative management, operators reactions and involvement to the study.

2. RECORD
Systematic recording of all the facts of the existing method are carried out to eliminate every unnecessary operation and to develop the best method omitting the repetitive elements and selecting more appropriate method. Tools for recording facts:

SL.NO.
1.

TOOLS
Charts- Used to record a process sequence

CHART NAMES
Outline process chart Flow process chart-Man Type, Material type, Equipment type Two handed process chart

2.

Charts- Used to Multiple activity chart record events on a Simo chart time scale

3.

DiagramsIndicating movements

Flow diagram String diagram Cyclegraph Chronocycle graph Travel chart

PROCESS CHART SYMBOLS

Indicates main steps in a process Indicates an inspection for quality or quantity check Indicates movement of workers, materials or transport Indicates temporary storage or delay Indicates permanent and controlled storage-

OUTLINE PROCESS CHART

It is a process chart giving an overall picture by recording in sequence only the main operations and inspections. It gives a brief knowledge of the nature each operation or inspection made.

FLOW PROCESS CHART

Flow charts is a process chart which shows the frequency of the flow of a product or procedure by recording all the events. Man type flow chart records what the worker does or job study. Material type flow chart records how the material is handled.

TWO HANDED PROCESS CHART

It is a process chart in which the activities of a workers hand are recorded in their relationship to one another. It is generally used for repetitive operations, when complete cycle of the work is to be recorded. It enables to know about the details of the job, elements of the job and their relation to each other.

MULTIPLE ACTIVITY CHART

It is a recording tool for situations where the work involves interactions of different subjects(worker, material, equipment). In this chart a common time scale is used to show their interrelationship. It is extremely useful in work involving repetitive actions by rearranging the activities to eliminate ineffective time.

SIMO CHART
It is used for operations of short durations which can be recorded. Simo charts often mention the fingers used, wrist, elbow, lower and upper arms. It is used to record the therbligs performed by different parts of the body on a time scale.

 STRING DIAGRAM: It is a model in which a thread is used to trace and measure the path of workers, material or equipment during a specified sequence of events.

FLOW DIAGRAM: This diagram shows movement of the material within the same floor or on different floors also in sequence.

 CYCLEGRAPH: It is a record of a path of movement continuously traced by source of light.

CHRONOCYCLEGRAPH: It is a special form of cyclegraph in which the light source is suitably interrupted so that the path appears as a series of dots, the pointed ends indicates the direction of movement.

TRAVEL CHART
It is a tabular record for presenting quantitative data about movement of workers, material or equipment between any number of places over any given period of time. For complex movement patterns travel chart is a quicker and more manageable recording technique.

3. EXAMINE
The questioning techniques is the mean by which the critical examination is conducted, each activity being subjected to a systematic and progressive series of questions. Primary questions: Purpose for which Place at which the activities Sequence in which are undertaken Person, Means by which with a view to eliminating, combing, rearranging or simplifying those activities. Secondary questions: Answers of primary questions are subjected to further query to determine alternatives for the above conditions.

A method has action activities and idle (inventory) activities. Action categories are subdivided into i) MAKE READY activities (ii) Do operations iii) PUT AWAY activities Each activity is subjected to a series of questions: When is it done? A. Purpose
What is done? Why is it done? What else might be done? What should be done?

Why is done then? When it might be done? When should it be done? D. Person Who does it? Why does that person do it? Who else might do it? Who should do it? E. Means How is it done? Why is it done that way? How else might it be

done? How should it be done? These questions in the above sequence must be asked every time a method study is undertaken. They are the basis of successful method study.

B. Place
Where is it done? Why is it done there? Where else might it be done? Where should it be done? C. Sequence

4. DEVELOP
The new method is developed by considerable reductions in non-productive activities i.e. unnecessary cleaning, transports. This is done by following methods: Improving the layout Eliminating or reducing handling Improving efficiency of handling Use of correct equipment for handling materialsconveyers, containers, fork lift. Standardizing the method

 EVALUATE: Alternatives are to be evaluated at this stage to find their contribution to the efficiency of the process as well as effectiveness. DEFINE: The new method or process suggested has to be put down standard process sheets that are issued to the shop or department.

 INSTALL: Industrial engineers of methods study persons have to train the operators and their supervisors in the new method and participate in installing the method.

MAINTAIN
Industrial engineers have to conduct a periodic review of methods to observe modifications brought into the installed methods by operators and supervisors

If they are beneficial, they have to be made part of standard operating procedure (SOP). If they are not beneficial, supervisors are to be informed of the same to bring the method back to SOP.