CMA Intermediate · Operations Management and Strategic Management
Work Study, Method Study and Time Study for CMA Inter
Work study is the systematic examination of work to improve how it is done and to set a standard time for it. It has two parts: method study, which finds a better way, and work measurement, which times it. To solve numericals, find observed time, apply rating to get basic time, add allowances to get standard time.
What this chapter covers
This chapter is about finding the best way to do a job and then deciding how long the job should take. Work study is the umbrella term. It has two branches. Method study records the present method, examines it critically and develops a better one. Work measurement (time study is its most common technique) fixes the time a qualified worker needs to do the job at a defined level of performance.
Method study uses recording tools such as outline process charts, flow process charts, flow diagrams and two-handed charts. Motion study looks at body movements at the workplace and uses the principles of motion economy to remove wasted effort. Work measurement then takes the improved method and times it. The numerical part is standard time: observed time, rating, basic time, allowances and standard time.
This chapter sits in the operations and productivity part of Paper 9. It links to plant layout, production planning and control, quality and productivity, and to incentive and standard costing ideas where a standard time is the base. Expect both theory questions (definitions, procedure, chart symbols, principles) and a short numerical on standard time.
The chapter is compact, mostly conceptual and has one reliable calculation, so it is good value for the effort. Definitions, the steps of method study and the differences between charts are easy to score in the objective section and in descriptive answers. The standard time calculation is mechanical: if you follow the sequence, you earn step marks even if one figure goes wrong. Few students practise it properly, so careful preparation gives you an edge.
Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study: topics in the order to study them
- 1Work Study: Meaning, Objectives and ScopeStart here to see how method study and work measurement fit together; every later topic hangs on this map.
- 2Method Study and Its ProcedureLearn the step-by-step procedure next, since recording and motion study are parts of it.
- 3Recording Techniques and Process ChartsCharts are the tools used in the record and examine steps, so study them once the procedure is clear.
- 4Motion Study and Principles of Motion EconomyThis narrows from the whole process to the worker's movements, completing the method study side.
- 5Work Measurement and Time StudyMove to the measurement branch only after method is settled, because you time the improved method.
- 6Standard Time Calculation: Rating and AllowancesStudy last, as it uses terms from time study and is the main numerical; practise it repeatedly.
How to prepare Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study
Split your time between remembering the theory and practising the calculation. The theory is learned by structure; the numerical is learned by repetition.
- Write the work study map on one page: work study, method study, work measurement, motion study, with one line on the purpose of each.
- Memorise the method study procedure as an ordered list, and be able to explain each step in two or three lines.
- Practise the chart symbols and draw a small flow process chart for a simple job such as preparing a document or assembling a part.
- Learn the principles of motion economy in groups: use of the human body, workplace arrangement, design of tools and equipment.
- Learn the time study sequence: select the job, record the elements, time them, rate the worker, compute basic time, add allowances.
- Solve at least five standard time problems. Use the layout: observed time, rating, basic time = observed time × rating ÷ 100, allowances, standard time. Check whether the allowance is given on basic time or on standard time before you add it.
- Attempt MCQs on definitions and differences, then write one full descriptive answer from memory and check it against your notes.
Common mistakes in Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study
Treating method study and work measurement as the same thing.
Fix: Remember that method study asks how the job should be done, and work measurement asks how long it should take.
Skipping the rating step and adding allowances directly to observed time.
Fix: Always write the chain: observed time, basic time, standard time. Label each line.
Applying the rating factor the wrong way round.
Fix: Use basic time = observed × rating ÷ 100. A faster worker (rating above 100) gives a longer basic time, because the normal pace would take longer.
Listing the method study steps out of order or in a vague way.
Fix: Learn the sequence as a story from selecting the job to maintaining the new method, and add one line of explanation per step.
Confusing chart types and their uses.
Fix: Note what each chart records and draw one small example of each.
Writing motion economy principles as a generic list with no examples.
Fix: Give one workplace example for each group, such as keeping tools within easy reach to cut reaching movements.
Last-day revision: Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study
- Work study = method study + work measurement.
- Method study aims to find a better, simpler and cheaper way of doing a job.
- Method study steps run from selecting the job to installing and maintaining the new method.
- Recording tools include outline process chart, flow process chart, flow diagram and two-handed chart.
- Motion study examines body movements to remove unnecessary effort.
- Principles of motion economy cover the body, the workplace and tools and equipment.
- Time study is a work measurement technique that uses a stopwatch on a sample of the work.
- Basic time = observed time × rating ÷ 100.
- Standard time = basic time + allowances.
- Allowances cover personal needs, fatigue and unavoidable delays.
- Rating is applied to observed time to get basic time, not to allowances.
- Allowances are normally a percentage of basic time. If the question gives them as a percentage of standard (total) time, use standard time = basic time ÷ (1 − allowance %). Read the question for the base.
Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study practice questions
- A simo-chart (simultaneous motion cycle chart) is best described as:
- For a packing task at a Nashik firm, the average observed time is 3.00 minutes, the operator rating is 90 on a standard of 100, and allowanc…
- In motion study, the basic elementary movements into which any manual operation can be broken down, such as 'Grasp', 'Transport Empty' and '…
- Using a standard time of 5 minutes per unit, how many units should a worker produce in an 8-hour shift if 40 minutes of the shift are lost t…
- Which of the following best describes the purpose of the 'rating' step in a stopwatch time study?
- A workshop supervisor at a Pune firm replaces hand-holding of a component with a clamp fixture, so that both hands are free for productive w…
- A stopwatch study of a packing task at an Indian FMCG plant records a mean observed time of 1.8 minutes per cycle at a rating of 110. Relaxa…
- A task has a basic time of 8 minutes. Allowances are expressed as 20% of the standard time (i.e., of the total time including allowances), n…
Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study in other exams
The same ground in other exams, if you are preparing for more than one or want another angle on it.
Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between method study and time study?
Method study finds the best way of doing a job by recording and critically examining the present method. Time study measures how long a qualified worker takes to do the job by that method. Method study comes first, and time study follows.
How do I calculate standard time?
First find the observed time for the element. Multiply it by the rating and divide by 100 to get basic time. Then add the allowances for personal needs, fatigue and delays to get standard time. Allowances are normally a percentage of basic time, but if the question gives them as a percentage of standard time, use basic time ÷ (1 − allowance %). Show each stage separately in your answer.
Is this chapter more theory or numericals?
It is mostly theory, with one standard time calculation that can be asked. Prepare both, because the theory is useful for the objective section and descriptive answers, and the calculation gives step marks.
Do I need to draw process charts in the exam?
You may be asked to explain or draw a chart for a simple process. Practise drawing a basic flow process chart with the standard symbols and a clear title, so you can do it quickly if needed.