Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

WORK SYSTEM DESIGN WITHIN OM: HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER

Work system design includes job design, methods analysis, and work measurement. Manufacturing or industrial engineers often do these activities. Job design determines exactly how the product or service will be done and is linked directly to product and process design. Based on the type of product (standard or custom) and its proposed process (mass-producing or producing one at a time), a company determines the skills set needed by its employees as well as the necessary equipment.

Method analysis provides a means for evaluating different processes and materials, thus allowing a company to focus on continuous improvement. This ties in directly with a company's total quality management (TQM) focus.

Work measurement techniques allow a company to develop standards to use as a basis for evaluating the cost and effectiveness of different methods and materials for building a product or providing a service. These time standards provide a time estimate to use as a basis for establishing detailed work schedules and for determining long-term staffing levels. These time estimates can be used as a basis for making delivery or completion-time promises to customers. Standard times are used to develop lead-time estimates, which are inputs for the MRP (material requirement planning) system as well as the MPS (master production schedule) process.

Work system design provides the means for setting standards against which to compare new methods, ...