CHAPTER FOUR:

MAINTENEC WORK MEASUREMENT

 4.1 Introduction
 4.2 Work Measurement Techniques
 4.3 Work Sampling
 4.4 Control Charts
 4.5 Predetermined Motion-Time
Systems
 4.6 Standard Data
 4.7 Estimating

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 4.1 Introduction
 Job standards are essential and necessary prerequisite for
evaluating maintenance productivity and performance
 A Job standard specifies output expected of qualified worker
performing at a standard performance
 Standard performance is the rate that a qualified worker will
achieve without overexertion taken as an average over a working
day.
 Job standards are used for:
 Planning maintenance recourses
 Evaluating workers performance and facilities
 Predicting, planning, scheduling and controlling work, cost, and
operations.

 Maintenance job standards can be developed using several work

measurement techniques.
 Maintenance work may require the worker to perform his job
under varying environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, noise
level, illumination etc.)
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 4.2 Work Measurement techniques

 Direct measurement techniques

Time Study
Work Sampling
 Indirect measurement techniques
Predetermined motion-time systems
Estimating

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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

 4.2.1 Time Study

Is performed by timing the worker as the job is
preformed, summing the times for related
elements of the job, standardizing the observed
times, and adding allowances for personal and
other variable working conditions.

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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)
 4.2.2 Time Study procedures
 T. S. procedure consists of 6 steps:
 1. Select the job:
 Selected job should be standardized in terms of equipment &
material and a qualified worker.
 2. Break the job into elements
 Identify the elements that constitute a work cycle
 Maintenance job is divided into segments known as elements
 Some of the basic considerations in breaking the job into elements
include:
• Machine element should be kept separate from manual
• Element should be easy to identify and time
• Elements associated with performing the actual maintenance work
should be kept separate from: obtaining material, waiting, walking etc.

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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

 Why dividing into elements:

• Elements times collected are categorized into standard
data that can be combined to get standards for some
maintenance jobs without the need for timing these
elements separately for each job.
• Times for similar elements from several jobs can be
compared to help keep job standard uniform
• A maintenance worker may not perform all elements at
same pace.

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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

 3. Observe the job

 The number of times a job should be observed and timed
increases with the accuracy desired for the job standard and the
level of significance accuracy required (the level of confidence
required in estimating the job standard).
2  2
Z   Z S 

n
 2    2 
  _ 
 A 
   AX 

 n :Total number of observations that should be taken to provide

the desired accuracy
  :True mean of the time of the activity
 A :Accuracy desired
 Z 2 :Standardized normal deviate
  :standard deviation

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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

 Take an initial sample size n1 and estimate  and 

S (Sample Standard Deviation) andX
by
(Sample Mean) respectively
 Substitute S and X instead of  and  and
compute
 If n  n1 , stop ;otherwise let n  n1 and go to the
first step.

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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

 The objective is to arrive at a standard that is

suitable for a qualified worker performing at a
standard performance.
 However, worker who was timed may not have
been working at a standard (100%) pace.
 “Rating” or “leveling” is needed to adjust the
observed times to the time required by someone
working at “standard” pace
 Rating: is the process of comparing the worker’s
rate performance, for each element of the
maintenance job, with the analyst’s standard
(normal) pace.
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 4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

Example 4.1:
Estimate the actual mean time to perform the following element if the standard normal deviate is
1.96 and accuracy desired is 10%. The observed element times for three observations are given
Below.
Before actual mean time is estimated, the number of observations to be taken to provide the desired
accuracy should be calculated.

Observation Observed Element

No. Time (xi)
0.07 1
0.08 2
0.11 3

n should be taken as 22 and calculation should be repeated until the calculated n is

.less than the actual n
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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

 4. compute the basic time

 It is the time it should take a qualified worker to
perform the elements of the job while working at a
standard pace.
 BT = OTRating Standard Rating 
 BT= Basic time
 OT= Observed time
 Standard Rating=100%
 Rating: Assume a worker was observed to be
working 15% faster than the standard pace. He
would be given a rating of 115%
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4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)

 5. Determine allowances
 An allowance is the percentage of the basic time
allowed for delay and fatigue
 It is time given for unavoidable delays
 Constant allowance: given for personal needs and
fatigue
 Variable allowance : related to maintenance job
characteristics.
 Table 4.2 shows the allowances.
 6. Establish job Standard
 Job standard= BT (1+ Allowances)

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13
4.2 Work Measurement techniques (Cont..)
 4.3 Work Sampling
Is a Technique for finding the percentage occurrence of
activity using statistical sampling.
To obtain a complete and accurate picture of the
productive time of maintenance workers will require to
observe them continuously and record when and why
any of the workers were idle. This is impossible.
 4.4 Control Charts: are used to detect instability in
work sampling and correct action is taken incase of
instability.
 4.5 Predetermined Motion-Time Systems (PMTSs)
 Are used for setting job standards

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 4.6 Standard Data

 Refers to standard data bank for various

elements that occur repeatedly in the workplace.
 These elements can be put together to develop
job standards.
 In the maintenance dept., a database can be
maintained for work element duration as
obtained through previous time studies.
 If the times required for all the elements of a new
job are available in standard data, they can be
summed up to arrive at a basic time for that job
and then allowances have to be added to it to
arrive at a job standard time for the new job.
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 4.6 Standard Data (cont..)

Standard data development is one of the desired

activities of a maintenance depart. Following are
some of the advantages offered by it:
 Advantages of standard data:
It eliminates the repetitive work of time study.
It saves time in sitting job standards.
It provides greater consistency between similar
job standards.

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 4.6 Standard Data (cont..)
 Steps for developing standard data:
 Gathering data to identify jobs and job standards.
 Details of job and proper element time values are put in
master list of elements.
 Constant-value elements are separate form variable-
value elements.
 IOC: index of comparison.
IOC= Job standard (standard data) Job standard (time study)
E.g.; 6.35/6.44 = 0.986 = 98%
 If IOC 98% confidence interval then no further
investigation is needed
 Otherwise standard data table values have to be
adjusted

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 4.7 Estimating
 Is the process of using past experience to predict
future events, which can be used to develop job
standards in an economical way.
 4.7.1 Introduction
Job standard can be obtained by using estimation in
the early stage of an organization and then monitor
closely to improve estimated job standards.
 Advantage: Inexpensive; able to estimate the job
standard before the job is started
Disadvantages:
1. Inconsistent job standards
2. Method changes may not be taken into account
3. No job experience no estimated job standards

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 4.7 Estimating (cont..)
 Maintenance work can be categorized as following:
 1. Routine work of regular frequency.
 2. Routine work of irregular frequency
 3. One-of-a-kind work that requires less than 100 hours.
 4. Non-routine jobs that require more than 100 hours.
 For categories 1&2, the average time taken in the past
may be used as a standards.
 Category 3, may be subdivided into the following classes:
0-8, 9-16, 17-32, 33-50, 51-100 hours. An average time
for each group can be used as a job standard
 For category 4, job standards can be developed using
either time study or PMTS.

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 4.7 Estimating (cont..)
 4.7.2 Comparative estimating (slotting):
It is a work measurement technique used to
measure the work content of low, repetitive
maintenance work.
Based on the principle that an experienced
worker can estimate a range of time during
which a certain task can be completed most of
the time
Time study is too costly but offers the best
solution. However comparative estimating is
relatively economical but inconsistent.
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 4.7 Estimating (cont..)

 4.7.3 Applying comparative estimation:

Relies on a series of benchmark jobs.
Benchmarks are jobs, which are similar in work
requirements, types of tools used,…etc and are
capable of being measured by accepted time
measurement techniques.
Slotting: is positioning any new or unmeasured
job into an appropriate group of benchmarks
There are two methods of slotting:
 Ranking and direct comparison
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 4.7 Estimating (cont..)
Ranking:
 Each benchmark in any particular group is arranged
in increasing order
 In the ranking system, the work specification of any
unmeasured job of similar requirements would be
compared with the benchmark job on the data sheet
 When one similar but of slightly less work content
than the benchmark has been found in any group
and another of slightly more work content within the
same group, then the new job would be given the
average time for that group.

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 4.7 Estimating (cont..)
 Direct Comparison:
The work content of the new job is compared
with benchmark of similar work content.
Assessment is made to see whether the
difference between the two jobs in work content
is greater than the difference between the basic
time of the benchmark job and the group
boundary
If the difference is more, then move the new job
out of that particular slot
END
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