Time and Motion Study + VSM (Value Stream Mapping)

Mayank Trivedi · Apr 7, 2008

My query is related to Time and Motion study. I am aligned to a business process that works completely on e-mails(its an e-mailo based process). It has various work types(5 in all) and these have various sub work types under them. I have asked the respective people who handle these processes to tell me all the work types they(and the people under them) handle. Once I have all this information I am planning to to initiate a time study to understand capacity utilization and productivity of each one of them. I will simultaneously be working on value stream mapping to understand the wastes these processes are producing.

My question is am I following the appropriate way of doing a time and motion study? And please provide me certain resourses where I can study it in greater detail and a step by step guide to VSM as well. Can I simultaneously do a VSM or should I do it before T&M study or after that?

Bev D · Apr 8, 2008

Re: Time and Motion + VSM

there are several excellent sources for value stream mapping. a web search will even yield some great sites for free. I would also recommend that you get a copy of "The complete lean enterprise" by Keyte and Locher and a copy of Value stream management for the lean office" by tapping and shuker.

(I am not related to any of these guys!)

the books are light reads but do a good job of translating lean and VSM to the office environment.

you'll also find that time and motion studies will optimize the smallest contributor to waste in your administrative processes. I would do that last

Mayank Trivedi · Apr 9, 2008

Hi BevD,

you'll also find that time and motion studies will optimize the smallest contributor to waste in your administrative processes. I would do that last

And why would you do that? And what in your opinion should I do first. i am trying to understand the process in detail and calculate the productivity of each individual(in this case I am told the average is 120%). I have been in this business for close to 4 years and I have never seen productivity beyond 98%(which is considered outstanding). And hence the time study. And the people in the operations are always busy that they sometimes even forget to to take a breath(and so the VSM bit). Can you let me know how do I approach this problem.

Bev D · Apr 11, 2008

in my experience, most of the activities performed by administrative personnel are "non value add" so you can measure these with a time and motion and motion study and 'optimize their movements all you want but the real improvements come from eliminating the wasteful activities. This is why I recommended the books.

Value Strem mapping will tell which operations have the most queue time, flow diagrams are used to determein value add vs non value add at the task level and a spaghetti diagram will show you wasted movement.

the eight wastes:

1. Overproduction

2. Excess inventory

3. Transportation

4. Non value added processing

5. Waiting

6. Excess motion

7. Defects

8. Underutilized people

wmarhel · Apr 11, 2008

Mayank,

Bev is right on the mark. It isn't that people aren't working, but the problem is probably more a factor of the work not "flowing" through the process. This could be caused by either multiple hand-offs or imbalances in the process. The value-stream map will give a 10,000 foot view so it can direct you to where the time study would be appropiate or highlight other areas affecting the output.

Wayne

Umang Vidyarthi · Apr 11, 2008

Mayank Trivedi said:
Hi All,

I may have entered my query in the wrong destination....but I am certain someone will take the pain to place it in the right place...if not then I think I am managing to find my way here.

My query is related to Time and Motion study. I am aligned to a business process that works completely on e-mails(its an e-mailo based process). It has various work types(5 in all) and these have various sub work types under them. I have asked the respective people who handle these processes to tell me all the work types they(and the people under them) handle. Once I have all this information I am planning to to initiate a time study to understand capacity utilization and productivity of each one of them. I will simultaneously be working on value stream mapping to understand the wastes these processes are producing.

My question is am I following the appropriate way of doing a time and motion study? And please provide me certain resourses where I can study it in greater detail and a step by step guide to VSM as well. Can I simultaneously do a VSM or should I do it before T&M study or after that?

Hello Mayank,

IMO Time & Motion Study and Value Stream Mapping are not interdependent activities, therefore they can be worked upon simultaneously, depending upon your time and resources.

You may find more discussions on the subject if you browse through the archives on the cove. Two current threads are here :

Time Study Std/Books that define minimum requirements for conducting time study

References, links to Work Measurement, Time Study

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Information - Manufacture of fasteners in punch presses

VSM (Value Stream Mapping) - Use constraints or leave 'wide open'

Besides, I suggest you google Time and Motion study & Value Stream Mapping for books, web sites, and softwares. There are special softwares for call centers, which might be of use to you since yours is an e-mail based application.

:caution:

Understand the Value stream mapping properly before its application. Many people end up doing process mapping in stead.

Umang

qualprod · Jan 30, 2019

Bev D said:
in my experience, most of the activities performed by administrative personnel are "non value add" so you can measure these with a time and motion and motion study and 'optimize their movements all you want but the real improvements come from eliminating the wasteful activities. This is why I recommended the books.
Value Strem mapping will tell which operations have the most queue time, flow diagrams are used to determein value add vs non value add at the task level and a spaghetti diagram will show you wasted movement.

the eight wastes:
1. Overproduction
2. Excess inventory
3. Transportation
4. Non value added processing
5. Waiting
6. Excess motion
7. Defects
8. Underutilized people

Lean with or without time and motion?

Im doing a vsa analysis, capturing data of the activities, writing down all what it has happened but not following any specific method, once having all data , vsm will be created and improvements will be implemented.

Should I use time and motion method?

What Is that? And is it worth it to use it? If yes,why?

John Broomfield · Jan 30, 2019

Method Study is far more rewarding than Time and Motion Study in my experience. The former eliminates waste while the latter can ignore the way the human body compensates for repetitive movement. In fact I thought T&M was dead.

Moving on from time and motion

qualprod · Jan 30, 2019

John Broomfield said:
Method Study is far more rewarding than Time and Motion Study in my experience. The former eliminates waste while the latter can ignore the way the human body compensates for repetitive movement. In fact I thought T&M was dead.

Moving on from time and motion

Thanks John

Bev D · Jan 31, 2019

Time and motion studies should not be ignored. Toyota Production System uses BOTH waste reduction and time and motion. We cannot balance a line to takt time without both. We cannot assure ergonomic safety without understanding motion paths. Certainly ‘waste reduction’ like eliminating non value add activities can provide larger time improvements than waste reduction of ‘excess motion’ but both are necessarry. Why do we always have to make this a contest?

Time and Motion Study + VSM (Value Stream Mapping)

Mayank Trivedi

Bev D

Heretical Statistician

Mayank Trivedi

Bev D

Heretical Statistician

wmarhel

Umang Vidyarthi

qualprod

John Broomfield

qualprod

Bev D

Heretical Statistician

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