Deck 15: Work Measurement

Question 1

The select time is the average observed time based only on representative times.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Work sampling can be used to estimate the proportion of time spent by people or machines on activities.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The snap-back method of time study resets the stopwatch to zero on the completion of each work element.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The predetermined data approach eliminates the need for time studies.

Question 5

A time study is the method most often used for setting time standards for a job.

Question 6

The more frequently the activity occurs,the longer the time period should be when conducting a work sampling study.

Question 7

Fatigue,rest,or unavoidable delays are factored into a work standard by the performance-rating factor.

Question 8

The performance-rating factor in a time study is a totally objective measure.

Question 9

Elemental standard time data can help managers develop time standards for new work before production begins.

Question 10

As the sample size increases in a work sampling study,the maximum error decreases.

Question 11

Time studies are appropriate for setting time standards for tasks that are different each time.

Question 12

The normal time adjusts the select time by the regularity of occurrence and a performance rating factor.

Question 13

A predetermined data approach to time standards can be completed before actual production begins.

Question 14

A work standard is the time required for a trained worker to perform a task following a prescribed method with normal effort and skill.

Question 15

The methods time measurement system is a predetermined data system.

Question 16

The methods time measurement approach assumes that a sequence of motions will take the same amount of time regardless of the order in which they are performed.

Question 17

Special training is required for observers using work sampling.

Question 18

The standard time for a work element is found by multiplying the select time by a performance-rating factor.

Question 19

Work measurement is the process of creating labor standards based on the judgment of skilled observers.

Question 20

When using work sampling,the times of day when the analyst collects the sample data should be selected at random over the length of the study.

Question 21

Work standards would NOT be helpful for management in which area?

A) Developing costs for current and new products
B) Determining current and projected capacity requirements for a given demand
C) Comparing different routings for an item and evaluating new work methods and equipment
D) Forecasting demand for current products

Question 22

The method used most often for setting time standards for a job is

A) the elemental standard data approach.
B) the time study method.
C) the predetermined data approach.
D) the work sampling method.

Question 23

When a work analyst needs a high degree of precision in comparing actual work method results to standard,the best method to use would be

A) a stopwatch study.
B) work sampling.
C) the elemental standard data approach.
D) the historical data approach.

Question 24

An advantage of the elemental standard data approach is that there is

A) a reduction in the number of time studies needed.
B) no need to estimate allowances.
C) no need to use time-study methods.
D) no need to estimate the variable characteristics of jobs.

Question 25

The continuous method of timing work elements

A) is more accurate than the snap-back method.
B) is best combined with the work sampling method.
C) will always result in increasing recorded times for successive work elements.
D) requires a greater sample size than the snap-back method.

Question 26

Which of these drawbacks would be considered a hidden cost of work standards?

A) Assigning tasks to workers and machines to utilize resources
B) Increased conflict between labor and management
C) Ability to compare alternative process designs
D) Determination of current and projected capacity requirements

Question 27

Which one of the following statements about work measurement is TRUE?

A) Work sampling is a technique to determine the proportion of time spent on different activities.
B) In determining the normal time for the cycle, using a rating factor less than one (1.0) will increase the total time allowed for a job to be performed, relative to the select time.
C) Machine standards are more difficult to develop than labor standards.
D) The time-study method is most appropriate for non-repetitive jobs in which the nature of the task differs each time.

Question 28

Traditional work measurement techniques often are viewed as repressive.

Question 29

Garman observes a worker assembling peanut valves and records the data displayed in the table.What is the select time for this job element if the worker is rated at 80%?

A) 15 seconds
B) 20 seconds
C) 25 seconds
D) 30 seconds

Question 30

Garman observes a worker assembling peanut valves and records the data displayed in the table.During one of the cycles,the worker knocked the shaft out of the fixture and had to realign the fixtures.What is the select time for this job element if the worker is rated at 80%?

A) Less than 23 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 23 seconds but less than 26 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 26 seconds but less than 29 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 29 seconds

Question 31

A manager is interested in setting a time standard for a machining operation.Which one of the following is LEAST likely to be of use?

A) Time-study method
B) Elemental standard data approach
C) Predetermined data approach
D) Work sampling method

Question 32

An analyst using a time-study approach

A) observes the worker at random times, categorizing what he or she is doing at that time.
B) must rate the performance of the worker on each element of the total task.
C) divides the total task into micro-motions such as "reach" and "grasp" and then times the worker on each one.
D) should use all observations in determining the standard, regardless of how irregular they might be, to be fair to the worker.

Question 33

Keith assembles peanut valves and the recorded data is displayed in the table.During one of the cycles,he pauses to answer a phone call from his friend who suggests that he seek employment elsewhere.Keith fields calls with some regularity,but that's not considered part of his routine job responsibilities.What is the select time for this job element if Keith is rated at 75%?

A) Greater than or equal to 3.2 minutes
B) Less than 3.2 minutes but greater than or equal to 2.8 minutes
C) Less than 2.8 minutes but greater than or equal to 2.4 minutes
D) Less than 2.4 minutes

Question 34

When using a time-study approach,the standard time is

A) the normal time per cycle multiplied by 1.0 plus the allowance.
B) the select time multiplied by the rating factor, summed over all work elements.
C) the select time plus z times the standard deviation.
D) the normal time plus z times the standard deviation.

Question 35

Timing the work elements using the snap-back method requires

A) the worker to perform each job element as quickly as possible.
B) a larger sample size than using the continuous method.
C) the use of two stopwatches.
D) a smaller sample size than using the continuous method.

Question 36

A time-study analyst is attempting to determine the standard time for a work element.She or he observes a worker performing the work element at a higher-than-average pace.How will this fact be reflected in the time standard that is eventually created?

A) The frequency of the work element per cycle will be increased.
B) The proportion of allowance time will be increased above 1.0.
C) The performance rating factor will be set greater than 1.0.
D) The normal time for the work element will be increased.

Question 37

Which one of the following statements about work-measurement methods is TRUE?

A) The two methods of using a stopwatch in time studies are historical and snap-back.
B) The time-study method is usually used for less-repetitive work with no definite work cycle.
C) With the time-study method, the analyst assigns a performance rating factor (RF) to the worker's performance. A value of RF greater than 1 means the worker is slower than a standard worker.
D) The work-sampling method needs many observations.

Question 38

Keith assembles peanut valves and the recorded data is displayed in the table.What is the select time for this job element if he is rated at 75%?

A) Greater than or equal to 3 minutes
B) Less than 3 minutes but greater than or equal to 2.7 minutes
C) Less than 2.7 minutes but greater than or equal to 2.4 minutes
D) Less than 2.4 minutes

Question 39

Which one of the following statements about the time-study method is TRUE?

A) It is most appropriate for "thinking" jobs such as an automobile mechanic's diagnosis of a problem.
B) It is used most often for setting time standards.
C) Using the time-study method technique, time standards can be set for new jobs before production begins.
D) Performance ratings are not needed in the derivation of time standards.

Question 40

With a time-study approach,the

A) nature of the task can be different with each replication, and the standards will still be good.
B) skill of the observer is not very important.
C) sample size is a function of the desired precision of the time estimate.
D) sample size is typically larger than required for the work sampling approach.

Question 41

An industrial engineer is conducting a time study for a work element.The select time is 4.5 minutes,and the sample standard deviation of the observed time is 20 seconds.What is the appropriate sample size if the estimate is to be 5 percent of the true average time 95 percent of the time?

A) Fewer than or equal to seven
B) Greater than seven but fewer than or equal to eight
C) Greater than eight but fewer than or equal to nine
D) Greater than nine

Question 42

During a time study,the following times were observed for a particular job using the continuous (non-snapback)method: 22,51,72,98,128,and 150 seconds.There is only one element per cycle.The sample standard deviation of the observed times has already been computed as 3.9 seconds.If an estimate for the average time that is within 4 percent of the true long-range average 95 percent of the time is desired,how many additional observations are needed?

A) Fewer than or equal to 40
B) Greater than 40 but fewer than or equal to 55
C) Greater than 55 but fewer than or equal to 70
D) Greater than 70

Question 43

Which work-measurement technique breaks down tasks into a series of generic micro-motions?

A) Time-study method
B) Elemental standard data approach
C) Predetermined-data approach
D) Work-sampling method

Question 44

With the use of the elemental standard data approach,

A) there is no need to estimate allowances.
B) managers can develop standards for new work before production begins.
C) time studies are not needed.
D) the need to specify job variables that affect times for each work element is eliminated.

Question 45

A time-study analyst is determining the standard time for a work element.The select time is 6.0 minutes,and the standard deviation of the select time is 2.2 minutes,based on a pilot sample of 20 observations.What is the appropriate sample size if the estimate for the select time is to be within 10 percent of the true average time 95 percent of the time?

A) Fewer than 30 observations
B) Greater than or equal to 30 observations but fewer than 40 observations
C) Greater than or equal to 40 observations but fewer than or equal to 50 observations
D) Greater than or equal to 50 observations

Question 46

Work sampling is one method of work measurement.A major disadvantage of this method is that

A) observers must be specially trained.
B) only one study can be conducted at a time.
C) it can be used only in hospital settings.
D) a large number of observations are often required.

Question 47

The advantage of using the predetermined-data approach for setting standards is that

A) it allows the setting of standards for a new job before production begins.
B) the predetermined data are representative of all workers, without question.
C) it does not require any special training to use it.
D) it can be used on jobs in which the times to perform the micro-motions are sequence dependent.

Question 48

Which of the following is not an advantage of the predetermined-data approach to work measurement?

A) Standards can be set before production begins.
B) New work methods can be compared without conducting a time study.
C) Performance ratings are not needed to derive standards.
D) The approach is particularly applicable to firms with a flexible flow strategy.

Question 49

An industrial engineer is conducting a time study for a work element.The select time is 7.5 minutes,and the sample standard deviation of the observed time is one minute.What is the appropriate sample size if the estimate is to be 3 percent of the true average time 95 percent of the time?

A) Fewer than or equal to 70
B) Greater than 70 but fewer than or equal to 80
C) Greater than 80 but fewer than or equal to 90
D) Greater than 90

Question 50

When using the MTM approach,

A) stopwatches are needed to time the elements that go together to make a task.
B) there is a problem of biased judgment because performance ratings are needed to derive standards.
C) an analyst consults tables that contain the select times for a variety of work elements.
D) new work methods can be compared without conducting a time study.

Question 51

When using a work-sampling study,

A) the underlying assumption is that the proportion of time during which the activity is observed in the sample will be the proportion of time spent on the activity in general.
B) the underlying assumption is that small samples of an activity can provide accurate measures of time spent on the activity.
C) an advantage is that the study can normally be concluded in a day or less.
D) the analyst must be highly trained in statistical observation.

Question 52

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task that contains four distinct elements. The observer recorded the following items in seconds, using the continuous method.

Use the information in Table H.1.Work element 1 receives a performance-rating factor of 1.4 and is performed every other cycle.If the company uses an allowance time of 15 percent,what is the standard time for this work element?

A) Fewer than 12 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 12 seconds but fewer than 13 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 13 seconds but fewer than 14 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 14 seconds

Question 53

A worker was observed for four cycles of a repetitive task.The observer used the continuous method for recording the times.The continuous times (in seconds)for each element are:
$$\begin{array} {r } { \text { Cycles } } \quad \quad \quad \\\begin{array} { | l | c | c | c | c | } \hline \quad \text { Element } & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 \\\text { 1. Pick up nut \& bolt } & 2 & 12 & 25 & 39 \\\text { 2. Thread nut onto bolt } & 5 & 16 & 29 & 42 \\\text { 3. Pick up wrench } &7 & 18 & 32 & 43 \\\text { 4. Tighten bolt, lay wrench } &11 & 23 & 38 & 48 \\\text { aside } & \\\hline\end{array}\end{array}$$
Which one of the following are the "select times" ( $\bar{t}$ )for each element? The first number is the select time for the first element,the second number is the select time for the second element,and so on.

A) 19.5, 23, 25, 30
B) 1.5, 3.5, 5, 2
C) 2, 3, 2, 5
D) 1.5, 3.5, 2, 5

Question 54

With the use of the methods time measurement approach,

A) stopwatches are needed to time the elements that go together to make a task.
B) there is a problem of biased judgment because performance ratings are needed to derive standards.
C) work must be broken down into micro-motions.
D) an analyst consults tables that contain the select times for a variety of work elements.

Question 55

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task that contains four distinct elements. The observer recorded the following items in seconds, using the continuous method.

Use the information in Table H.1.What is the select time for work element 2?

A) Fewer than 12 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 12 seconds but fewer than 13 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 13 seconds but fewer than or equal to 14 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 14 seconds

Question 56

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task that contains four distinct elements. The observer recorded the following items in seconds, using the continuous method.

Use the information in Table H.1.Assume that work element 1 receives a performance-rating factor of 1.1 and all other elements receive a rating of 1.2.If work elements 1 and 3 are performed every other cycle,and elements 2 and 4 are performed every cycle,what is the normal time for the complete cycle?

A) Fewer than 45 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 45 seconds but fewer than 48 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 48 seconds but fewer than 51 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 51 seconds

Question 57

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the MTM approach?

A) A performance rating factor greater than 1.0 means the worker under observation is working slowly.
B) A frequency of less than 1.0 means that the job element is not performed during every cycle.
C) A performance rating factor less than 1.0 means the worker under observation is not producing output that has high quality.
D) A negative allowance time means that the worker under observation is taking excessive breaks.

Question 58

Work sampling is most often used in situations in which

A) a time standard is needed for a repetitive job.
B) an estimate of the proportion of the time spent on a particular activity is needed.
C) it is important to keep the sample size down.
D) special training is required for the observer, and stopwatches must be used.

Question 59

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task that contains four distinct elements. The observer recorded the following items in seconds, using the continuous method.

Use the information in Table H.1.What is the select time for work element 3?

A) Fewer than 12 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 12 seconds but fewer than 13 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 13 seconds but fewer than or equal to 14 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 14 seconds

Question 60

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task that contains four distinct elements. The observer recorded the following items in seconds, using the continuous method.

Use the information in Table H.1.Assuming that work element 4 receives a performance-rating factor of 1.2 and is performed once per cycle,what is the normal time for this work element?

A) Fewer than 10 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 10 seconds but fewer than 11 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 11 seconds but fewer than 12 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 12 seconds

Question 61

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task that contains four distinct elements. The observer recorded the following items in seconds, using the continuous method.

Use the information in Table H.1.Assume that work element 1 receives a performance rating factor of 1.2 and all other elements receive a rating of 1.1.If work element 2 is performed every other cycle but every other element is performed every cycle,and the company has an allowance time of 0.10,what is the standard time for the complete cycle?

A) Fewer than 45 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 45 seconds but fewer than 50 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 50 seconds but fewer than 55 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 55 seconds

Question 62

An observer has recorded the following select ( )for a five-part task and has applied a rating factor (RF)to each.The times are in seconds.If there is a 15 percent allowance for "nonproductive" activities,compute the standard time for the total task.

The standard time for the task is

A) fewer than or equal to 21 seconds.
B) greater than 21 seconds but fewer than or equal to 23 seconds.
C) greater than 23 seconds but fewer than or equal to 25 seconds.
D) greater than 25 seconds.

Question 63

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task. The observer recorded the following times, in seconds, using the continuous method. The ratings for each element and frequency it is performed are also indicated in the table. The allowance fraction is 20 percent.

Use the information in Table H.3.What is the standard time for the complete cycle?

A) Fewer than 90 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 90 seconds but fewer than 97 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 97 seconds but fewer than 104 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 104 seconds

Question 64

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task. The observer recorded the following times, in seconds, using the continuous method. The ratings for each element and frequency it is performed are also indicated in the table. The allowance fraction is 20 percent.

Use the information in Table H.3.What is the normal time for the complete cycle?

A) Fewer than 85 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 85 seconds but fewer than 95 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 95 seconds but fewer than 105 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 105 seconds

Question 65

A manager wants to determine the proportion of time a cashier is idle.A work-sampling method was used,and the idle time was found to be 20 percent based on 100 observations.If the manager wants a + 0.05 with a 95 percent confidence level,how many MORE observations are needed?

A) Fewer than or equal to 200
B) Greater than 200 but fewer than or equal to 300
C) Greater than 300 but fewer than or equal to 400
D) Greater than 400

Question 66

Use the information in Table H.2.Which work element will take the longest for an average worker to perform per cycle?

A) Work element 1
B) Work element 2
C) Work element 3
D) Work element 4

Question 67

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task. The observer recorded the following times, in seconds, using the continuous method. The ratings for each element and frequency it is performed are also indicated in the table. The allowance fraction is 20 percent.

Use the information in Table H.3.What is the standard time for work element 1?

A) Fewer than 18 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 18 seconds but fewer than 20 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 20 seconds but fewer than 22 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 22 seconds

Question 68

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task. The observer recorded the following times, in seconds, using the continuous method. The ratings for each element and frequency it is performed are also indicated in the table. The allowance fraction is 20 percent.

Use the information in Table H.3.What is the normal time for work element 2?

A) Fewer than 10 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 10 seconds but fewer than 11 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 11 seconds but fewer than 12 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 12 seconds

Question 69

Use the information in Table H.2.If the allowance for this task is 20 percent,what is the standard time for the entire task?

A) Fewer than 20 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 20 seconds but fewer than 22 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 22 seconds but fewer than 24 seconds
D) Greater than 24 seconds

Question 70

If a worker spends 10 hours per day performing a task,and the allowance for this task is 19 percent,how many hours during the average day is the worker involved in nonproductive activities?

A) Fewer than 1.75
B) Greater than or equal to 1.75 hours but fewer than 5 hours
C) Greater than or equal to 5.00 hours but fewer than 8.25
D) Greater than or equal to 8.25 hours

Question 71

A supermarket administrator suspects that idle time is about 20 percent for the cashier and 15 percent for the office clerk.If the administrator wants a 95 percent confidence level and a degree of precision of + 0.05 for both cashier and office clerk,how many TOTAL observations are needed?

A) Fewer than or equal to 200
B) Greater than 200 but fewer than or equal to 300
C) Greater than 300 but fewer than or equal to 400
D) Greater than 400

Question 72

A worker was observed for four cycles of a repetitive operation.The observed times for work elements are 11,10,8,and 11 seconds,respectively.What sample size is appropriate for estimating the time for this work element within + 3 percent of the true mean time with 95 percent confidence?

A) Fewer than or equal to 70
B) Greater than 70 but fewer than or equal to 75
C) Greater than 75 but fewer than or equal to 80
D) Greater than 80

Question 73

The following times in seconds were observed for a particular one-element job using the continuous method: 12,22,35,and 50.The worker's rating factor is 1.1.What is the standard time for the job if an allowance of 20 percent is provided?

A) Fewer than or equal to 14 seconds
B) Greater than 14 but fewer than or equal to 15 seconds
C) Greater than 15 but fewer than or equal to 16 seconds
D) Greater than 16

Question 74

A work-sampling method is used to determine the proportion of the time a worker is idle.The following information was gathered on a random basis.

If the manager wants a 95 percent confidence level and a degree of precision of ± 0.03,how many more observations are needed?

A) Fewer than or equal to 600
B) Greater than 600 but fewer than or equal to 800
C) Greater than 800 but fewer than or equal to 1,000
D) Greater than 1,000

Question 75

A time-study analysis was performed on a task with two work elements.The select times for these work elements are 21.0 seconds and 13.0 seconds,with rating factors of 1.1 and 1.2,respectively.Each work element is performed twice per cycle.If an allowance of 20 percent is used,what is the standard time for this task?

A) Fewer than 50 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 50 seconds but fewer than 70 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 70 seconds but fewer than 90 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 90 seconds

Question 76

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task. The observer recorded the following times, in seconds, using the continuous method. The ratings for each element and frequency it is performed are also indicated in the table. The allowance fraction is 20 percent.

Use the information in Table H.3.What is the select time for work element 2?

A) Fewer than 17 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 17 seconds but fewer than 22 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 22 seconds but fewer than or equal to 27 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 27 seconds

Question 77

A time-study analyst has found the select time for a work element to be 14.0 minutes,with a sample standard deviation of 3.2 minutes.What is the minimum sample size needed if the estimate is to be within 4 percent of the average 95 percent of the time?

A) Fewer than 100
B) Greater than or equal to 100 but fewer than 140
C) Greater than or equal to 140 but fewer than 180
D) Greater than or equal to 180

Question 78

At a new watch assembly plant,a job is divided into three work elements.The element times for the first four cycles are recorded by the continuous method and are presented below along with a performance rating factor (RF)for each element.
$$\begin{array} {r } { \text { Observation (time in min) } } \quad \quad \\\begin{array} { | c | c | c | c | c | c | } \hline \text { Work Element } & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & \mathrm { RF } \\\hline 1 & 0.50 & 2.32 & 4.22 & 6.16 & 1.0 \\\hline 2 & 1.45 & 3.24 & 5.20 & 7.06 & 1.1 \\\hline 3 & 1.87 & 3.62 & 5.61 & 7.49 & 0.9 \\\hline\end{array}\end{array}$$
The standard time for this job,assuming that the allowance is 18 percent,is

A) fewer than or equal to 1.9 minutes.
B) greater than 1.9 minutes but fewer than or equal to 2.0 minutes.
C) greater than 2.0 minutes but fewer than or equal to 2.1 minutes.
D) greater than 2.1 minutes.

Question 79

A job shop manager wants to determine the proportion of time the workers are idle.The shop employs two types of workers.Type 1 includes three workers and Type 2 includes two workers.The manager suspects that the proportion of idle time is about 20 percent for Type 1 workers and 15 percent for Type 2 workers.If the manager wants a 95 percent confidence level and a degree of precision of + 0.05,how many trips will the observers have to take through the group?

A) Fewer than or equal to 80
B) Greater than 80 but fewer than or equal to 90
C) Greater than 90 but fewer than or equal to 100
D) Greater than 100

Question 80

A worker was observed for four cycles in a repetitive task. The observer recorded the following times, in seconds, using the continuous method. The ratings for each element and frequency it is performed are also indicated in the table. The allowance fraction is 20 percent.

Use the information in Table H.3.What is the select time for work element 4?

A) Fewer than 40 seconds
B) Greater than or equal to 40 seconds but fewer than 60 seconds
C) Greater than or equal to 60 seconds but fewer than or equal to 80 seconds
D) Greater than or equal to 80 seconds