Operations Management and Strategic Management · Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study

Method Study and Its Procedure: Steps With Examples

Updated 10 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of existing and proposed ways of doing work, to find easier and more effective methods and reduce cost. Its procedure has seven steps: select, record, examine, develop, define, install and maintain. Write them in this order and link each to the example given.

Understand Method Study and Its Procedure

Method study is one half of work study. It asks one question: is there a better way to do this job? It looks at how work is done, not how long it takes. Timing the job is the task of work measurement.

The idea is simple. Any job can be done in several ways. Many firms keep using the way that grew by habit. Method study replaces habit with a structured check. You record the present method as it is, question every part of it, and design a simpler one. The aim is less wasted movement, material, time and effort, so the cost per unit falls and output or quality rises.

The usual objectives are: improve processes and procedures, improve the layout of the workplace, make better use of men, machines and materials, reduce fatigue, and set a base for later time measurement. Method study comes before work measurement, because it makes no sense to set a time for a method that is wasteful.

The procedure runs in seven steps. Select the job to study. Record the present method by facts. Examine the facts critically. Develop the best practical method. Define the new method in writing. Install it by training and trial. Maintain it by checking that it is followed. Exam answers should follow this order and say what is done at each step.

Many texts present the sequence as the mnemonic SREDIM: Select, Record, Examine, Develop, Install, Maintain. Define is sometimes shown as a separate step between Develop and Install. In this page Define is written as its own step, so use all seven.

Key rules to remember

Method study procedure (order of steps): Select → Record → Examine → Develop → Define → Install → Maintain; Learn the sequence as written. A common memory line: Some Real Experts Develop Defined Improved Methods.
Critical examination: primary questions: Purpose (What is done? Why?) · Place (Where? Why?) · Sequence (When? Why?) · Person (Who? Why?) · Means (How? Why?); Primary questions establish the facts of the activity. Ask Why? of each answer to test whether it is really needed.
Critical examination: secondary questions: What else could be done? · Where else? · When else? · Who else? · How else?; Secondary questions explore alternatives so that you can select the best option. Follow them with the ECRS idea: Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, Simplify.
Percentage saving from a new method: Saving % = (Old cost or time − New cost or time) ÷ Old cost or time × 100; Use to show the benefit of the improved method. Use the same unit for old and new.

How to solve Method Study and Its Procedure questions

Use this method for theory questions on the procedure and for case-style questions asking you to improve a given job.

1Define method study in one line: systematic recording and critical examination of present and proposed methods to find a better one.
2List the seven steps in order: select, record, examine, develop, define, install, maintain.
3For each step, write one or two lines on what is done. If the question gives a case, tie each line to that case.
4In Select, state the criteria: economic, technical and human factors, such as high-cost, bottleneck or high-fatigue jobs.
5In Record, name the tool: outline, flow process or two-handed chart, flow diagram, or string diagram, as suits the job.
6In Examine, use the primary and secondary questions and the ECRS ideas to point out waste.
7Close with the benefit: show saving in time, motion or cost, with a calculation if figures are given.
8Add a line on maintain: audit, feedback and handling of resistance from workers.

Quickest way: Seven-step skeleton answer

When to use it: Use when you have little time or the question is a short note of 4 to 6 marks.

Write the seven step names as a numbered list first.
Add one sharp line to each step, with a keyword such as criteria, chart, questioning, alternatives, written standard, training, review.
If a job is given, add one concrete example against Examine and Develop only.
End with the aim: lower cost and effort, better output and safety.

Common mistakes in Method Study and Its Procedure

Writing the steps in the wrong order, for example examine before record.
Students memorise names but not the logic that facts must come before criticism.
Fix: Remember that you cannot judge a method before you have recorded it. Practise the sequence until it is automatic.
Mixing method study with time study.
Both sit under work study and appear in the same chapter.
Fix: Method study decides how to do the job. Time study or work measurement decides how long it should take. Do not put rating or allowances in a method study answer.
Leaving out Define, Install or Maintain.
Students stop at developing the improved method, as if the study ends there.
Fix: Write all seven steps. Say that the method must be written as a standard, introduced with training, and checked afterwards.
Writing only the step names with no explanation.
Students rely on memory lists and run out of time.
Fix: Add at least one line per step, and link it to the case in the question.
Recording the method as it should be done, not as it is done.
Students want to jump to the improvement.
Fix: State that Record captures the actual present method, in full, by direct observation.
Ignoring the human side when selecting and installing.
Students treat the study as purely technical.
Fix: Mention worker acceptance, involvement, training and fear of job loss as factors in Select and Install.

Worked examples

Example 1

Explain the procedure of method study with reference to a packing section in a Pune biscuit factory where packers walk long distances to fetch cartons.

Show the solution

Select: choose packing, as it is labour heavy and shows waste of movement. Check economic, technical and human aspects.
Record: observe and note each activity, with a flow process chart and a flow diagram of the section layout showing the walking paths.
Examine: question each activity using purpose, place, sequence, person and means. Ask why cartons are stored far away and whether the walk can be removed.
Develop: choose a practical method, such as placing cartons beside the packing table and refilling them in bulk by a helper. Compare cost and effort of options.
Define: write the new method with the layout, steps and tools in a standard instruction.
Install: train the packers, run a trial period and then adopt it as the standard method.
Maintain: review regularly, collect feedback and prevent a return to old habits.

Answer: The seven steps are select, record, examine, develop, define, install and maintain. In the packing section, they lead to a changed layout in which cartons are brought near the packers, so that walking is removed.

Example 2

A process chart for a job in a Chennai workshop showed 40 minutes per unit by the old method. After method study, the new method takes 30 minutes per unit. At 480 minutes per shift, find the percentage saving in time per unit and the extra units per shift.

Show the solution

Time saved per unit = 40 − 30 = 10 minutes.
Percentage saving = 10 ÷ 40 × 100 = 25%.
Units per shift under the old method = 480 ÷ 40 = 12.
Units per shift under the new method = 480 ÷ 30 = 16.
Extra units per shift = 16 − 12 = 4.

Answer: Time per unit falls by 25%. Output rises from 12 to 16 units per shift, an extra 4 units.

Exam tips

Write the seven steps as a numbered list with short explanations. Examiners look for the sequence and for a line on each step.
In case questions, tie each step to the facts given, such as layout, distance or number of operators.
Show a small calculation of saving if figures are given, using the old and new method values.
For MCQs, watch for options that swap the order of steps or attach rating and allowances to method study.
State the objective: reduce cost and effort, and improve output, quality and safety. This earns an easy mark.

Practice questions from Control Measures - Time and Motion Study, Method Study, Work Study

Method Study and Its Procedure: frequently asked questions

What is method study in operations management?

Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of the present and proposed ways of doing work. Its aim is to develop easier and more effective methods and reduce cost. It forms one part of work study, along with work measurement.

What are the steps of method study?

The steps are select, record, examine, develop, define, install and maintain. Select the job, record the present method, examine it critically, develop an improved method, define it in writing, install it with training and maintain it by regular checks.

What is the difference between method study and work measurement?

Method study looks for the best way of doing a job. Work measurement finds the time a qualified worker needs to do it by that method. Method study is done first.

Which tools are used to record the present method?

Common tools are outline process charts, flow process charts, two-handed charts, flow diagrams and string diagrams. Choose the tool that suits the job. Use the next topics on recording techniques for the full detail.