Page 311 - Industrial Process Plant Construction Estimating and Man Hour Analysis

Glossary

Definitions for productivity analysis

Actual time The time reported for work, which includes delays, idle time, and inefficiency,
as well as efficient effort.
Allowance An adjustment for work, which includes delays, idle time, and inefficiency, as
well as efficient effort.
Continuous timing A method of time study where the total elapsed time from the start is
recorded at the end of each element.
Cycle The total time of elements from start to finish.
Delay allowance One part of the allowance included in the standard time for interruptions or
delays beyond the worker’s ability to prevent.
Element A subpart of an operation or task separated for timing and analysis; beginning and
ending points are described, and the element is the smallest part of an operation observed
by time study. The length of the element can vary from minutes, to hours, to days, etc.
Fatigue allowance An allowance based on physiological reduction in ability to do work,
sometimes included in the standard time.
Idle time An interval in which the worker, equipment, or both are not performing useful
work.
Normal time An element or operation time found by multiplying the average time observed
for one or multiple cycles by a rating factor.
Observed time The time observed on the stopwatch/electronic clock or other media and
recorded on the time study sheet or media tape during the measurement process.
Person/man-hour A unit of measure representing one person working for 1 hour.
Productivity rate A unit rate of production; the total amount produced in a given period
divided by the number of hours or months or years.
Productivity The amount of work performed in a given period. Usually measured in units of
work per man-hour or man-month or man-year
Rating factor A means of comparing the performance of the worker under observation by
using experience or other benchmarks; additionally, a numerical factor is noted for the
elements or cycle; 100% is normal, and rating factors less than or greater than normal
indicate slower or faster performance.
Standard time Sums of rated elements that have been increased for allowances.
Task/operation Designated and described work sublet to work measurement, estimating,
and reporting.

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